Uttarakhand: The death toll has risen to 8 in a stampede that took place at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar on Sunday. The District Administration said that the total number of injured has been reported as 30. Visuals from the site showed the injured being rushed to the hospital to receive medical care.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the fire brigade reached the site and carried out rescue operations. The tragedy occurred when a large crowd of devotees was heading towards the hilltop shrine around 9am on Sunday. One of the injured persons told ANI, “Just 20-25 steps before the temple premises, the crowd became uncontrollable. I fell along with 10 to 12 others… I found 3 of my family members, but two are still missing.”
Meanwhile, Mahant Ravindra Puri, President of the Mansa Devi Temple Trust, said that there are three ways to reach the temple – a ropeway, a vehicular way, and an ancient route directly from Har Ki Pauri. He added, “This is not an incident of electrocution, but there are no indications of such happening. We will assist the victim families.”
Earlier on Sunday, SSP Pramendra Singh Dobal said, “We received reports of some people being injured, following which the police took immediate action. Around 35 people were brought to the hospital, and 6 have been confirmed dead. The rest are undergoing treatment… Prima facie, the stampede was triggered by a rumour of an electric shock on stairs 100 metres down the temple route. We are investigating further…” As per the latest update, the temple has been reopened for darshan, and safety arrangements are in place.
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