Lucknow (India), 27 July (LaPresse/AP) – At least six people have died and dozens more have been injured in India after a stampede at a famous Hindu temple in the north of the country, the Mansa Devi temple in the pilgrimage town of Haridwar, after a high-voltage power cable fell onto a temple path, causing panic among the crowd of worshippers and a stampede. This was reported by Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior government official in the state of Uttarakhand where the accident occurred. According to Pramendra Singh Doval, a senior police official in the city of Haridwar, 29 people were injured.
The Mansa Devi temple, located on top of a hill, is an important place for Hindu devotees. According to local authorities, thousands of pilgrims had gathered at the temple to celebrate the holy month of Shravan. At around 9 a.m., someone in the crowd shouted that there was electricity on the path. ‘As the path is narrow and intended for pedestrian traffic only, panic and confusion immediately spread,’ said local priest Ujjwal Pandit. Police and emergency services rushed to the scene and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Authorities are now investigating the cause of the cable collapse and the correctness of crowd management procedures.