Patna: At least seven women were killed and more than 12 people injured in a stampede near Ashokdham temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday, with officials warning that the death toll could rise.
A senior police official confirmed the deaths, while rescue and relief operations were underway at the site.
According to preliminary information, the incident occurred on the road connecting Ashokdham railway station with the temple, where thousands of devotees had gathered and were waiting in queues for darshan.
An electricity pole had reportedly fallen on the route a few hours before the incident. Panic broke out after devotees were told that the fallen pole had come in contact with people and some had suffered electric shocks.
As fear spread through the crowd, devotees began running in different directions. The resulting rush caused the barricading along the route to collapse, leading several people to fall over one another.
A devotee present at the spot said the crowd was extremely large when news of the fallen electricity pole and possible electric shocks spread. “People panicked and started running for safety. The barricading then collapsed and people fell over one another,” the devotee said.
Lakhisarai district magistrate said he had been at the site since around 3.30 am and that the crowd suddenly swelled at around 6.30 am.
“A little later, we learnt that people had fallen on one another after the barricading on the side of the field broke,” he said. The incident comes nearly five months after another deadly stampede at a temple in Bihar.
On March 31, more than 25,000 devotees had gathered at the Maghra Sheetla Temple in Nalanda on the last Tuesday of the Chaitra month.
A stampede broke out amid pushing and shoving among devotees rushing for darshan, killing nine people, including eight women.
