HARIDWAR: At least six people were crushed to death and more than 10 others injured in a stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar, northern India’s Uttarakhand state, on Sunday. The stampede occurred on the stairway leading to the temple, a popular Hindu pilgrimage site situated along the Ganges river.
Senior police official Parmendra Dobhal confirmed the fatalities and the injuries, with several victims being admitted to the hospital for treatment. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, announced that relief and rescue operations were underway, and that he was in continuous communication with local authorities to monitor the situation.
Stampedes and crowd surges are a frequent occurrence during religious festivals in India. In June, a similar incident at a Hindu festival in Odisha claimed the lives of at least three people and left many others injured.