In this photo taken on November 22, 2021, the general view shows the Vaishno Devi temple, one of the country’s most revered Hindu sites, near the town of Katra in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir . At least 12 people died and 13 were injured in a stampede at a religious temple in India in the early hours of January 1, 2022, when thousands of pilgrims gathered to pray, officials said.
Vijay Mathur | AFP | beautiful pictures
At least 12 pilgrims were killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede at a Hindu temple in Kashmir on Saturday morning, police said.
“Twelve pilgrims died and 14 were injured in a stampede early this morning at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine,” said senior police officer Mukesh Singh.
All of the injured have been hospitalized, he said.
Another official said the stampede broke out when a huge crowd of devotees, who had come to mark the start of the New Year, entered the Vaishno Devi Bhawan shrine.
“Extremely saddened by the loss of life due to the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a message of condolences.
Officials said that a high-level investigation has been ordered.
