Medical workers carry the coffin of a victim who died Saturday in a stampede at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Channi Anand / AP
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Channi Anand / AP
Medical workers carry the coffin of a victim who died Saturday in a stampede at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Channi Anand / AP
SRINAGAR, India — A mob gathering at a popular Hindu temple in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 12 people and wounded 15 others on New Year’s Day, officials said.
Initial reports suggested a scuffle between a group of devotees led to a breakdown early Saturday at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine, where tens of thousands of Hindus gathered to pay their respects. in the hilly town of Katra near the southern city of Jammu.
Mahesh, who gave only one name, said: “Something happened near one of the gates and I found myself crushed by several people. I suffocated and fell but somehow managed to get up. “.
“I saw people moving over bodies. It was a horrifying sight, but I managed to help rescue some of the injured,” he said.
The Press Trust of India news agency quoted police chief Dilbag Singh as saying that authorities responded quickly and order in the crowd was restored immediately.
Officials said the pilgrimage resumed after nearly four hours. An investigation is underway.
Police stand guard as devotees line up to sign up to visit the sacred grotto of the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine following a stampede on Saturday.
Channi Anand / AP
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Police stand guard as devotees line up to sign up to visit the sacred grotto of the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine following a stampede on Saturday.
Channi Anand / AP
Another devotee named Priyansh said he and 10 friends from New Delhi came on Friday night to visit the temple. He said two of his friends died in a coma.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a message on Twitter.
Modi wrote: “Extremely saddened by the loss of life due to a stampede happening.
Pilgrims often walk to the hilltop temple, which is one of the most visited temples in northern India.
Deadly crowds are common during India’s religious festivals, where mass gatherings, sometimes in the millions, cover small areas with little control or safety measures. .
In 2013, pilgrims visiting a temple for a popular Hindu festival in central Madhya Pradesh state trampled each other amid fears that a bridge would collapse, and at least 115 people were injured. crush or die in the river below.
More than 100 Hindus died in a 2011 disaster at a religious festival in the southern state of Kerala.
