PESHAWAR: At least 12 worshipers were killed and 13 other injured in stampede at a Hindu temple in Indian-administered Kashmir.
A senior Indian official told the media that death toll is expected to rise as huge number of devotees were gathered at the shrine to pay homage and worship on New Year’s Eve. The official informed that the incident took place near the temple of Goddess Mata Vaishno Devi on the top of a hill. The temple of Goddess Mata Vishnu is considered one of the most revered Hindu places of worship in northern India. The Kashmir disaster management officials also said that the stamped occurred at around 2:45 pm.
“A high-level inquiry has been ordered by the government into the stampede at the temple,” he said. Indian media reports, citing eyewitnesses, said the crowd had exceeded 25,000 a day and a large number of people had entered the temple without permission. Other reports suggest that the stampede occurred after a quarrel broke out between the devotees.
Rescue operations were immediately launched and the injured, some of whom are said to be in critical condition, were shifted to hospitals. After the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of lives as a result of stampede in Hindu temple.” He added that he was in touch with local authorities.
In 2013, at least 115 people were crushed or drowned in a stampede on a bridge during a Hindu festival in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In 2011, more than 100 Hindu devotees were killed in a stampede at a religious festival in the southern Indian state of Kerala.