At least seven people were killed over two dozen sustained injuries after a stampede broke out during a temple festival at a village in North Goa in the wee hours of Saturday.
The incident took place at around 3 am at Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village, around 40 kilometres from Panaji.
According to Director General of Police Alok Kumar, at least 30,000 to 40,000 people gathered for the festival with some standing on a slope. A few people fell on the slope, causing others to fall on each other.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the injured people at the North Goa district hospital. In a post on X, Sawant said Prime Minister Narendra spoke to him over the phone and took stock of the situation.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the loss of lives in the tragic incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
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What Caused The Stampede
Midnight visuals from the temple showed a crowd of devotees gathered around a huge fire at the temple for a custom that involves sitting around the fire and making wishes.
It is believed that wishes come true if the devotees participate in the ritual with some even walking on embers for a ritual called 'agnidivya'. However, it is not known whether people were participating in the ritual when the stampede broke out.
At around 4-4:30 pm, a sudden rush of devotees among the crowd was seen triggering panic and chaos as people started jostling to escape, described eyewitnesses, reported NDTV. As per the initial reports, overcrowding and lack of crowd control measures led to the stampede.
Meanwhile, CM Sawant said that a sudden electric shock is said to have caused pani in the crowd. However, the exact cause of the stampede is yet to be ascertained.