Stampede at Hindu temple in India: At least 7 people dead

At least 7 people lost their lives and 19 were injured in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.

The incident occurred early Monday at the Ashok Dham temple in the Lakhisarai district. Thousands of people had gathered at the temple to make offerings to the god Shiva for the month of Shravan, which is considered sacred in the Hindu faith.

District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar stated that the panic began when a rumor spread that an electric pole had fallen onto the crowd in the temple courtyard. Some reports also indicated that fear of electrocution exacerbated the panic.

Kumar said that the arrival of two trains in the area shortly before the incident caused a sudden increase in the number of visitors, and a section of the barriers collapsed as the crowd tried to flee. Stating that "the situation is currently under control," Kumar reported the number of injured as 19.

According to local sources, the majority of those affected by the stampede were women. It was reported that at least four of those who lost their lives were women between the ages of 44 and 55.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the loss of life as "heartbreaking." Choudhary announced that compensation of 400,000 rupees, approximately 4,180 dollars, would be paid to the families of each of the deceased.

While State Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha announced that the circumstances under which the tragedy occurred would be investigated, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and stated that local authorities were providing assistance to those affected.

In India, deadly stampedes can occur during large religious gatherings when crowd management is inadequate. In 2024, more than 120 people lost their lives at a religious event in the state of Uttar Pradesh.