3 killed, dozens injured in stampede during Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri
Devotees gather near the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra | PTI
At least three people died and over fifty others were injured in a stampede during the Rath Yatra festival in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday morning.
The incident took place at 4 am near the Shree Gundicha temple, about three kilometres from Jagannath temple, where hundreds of devotees had gathered to witness the pulling of chariots.
The deceased were identified as Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das from Balipatna.
Those injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital and the condition of six people is said to be critical.
The chariots of sibling deities—Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath—reached the destination Gundicha temple on Saturday evening, a day after the Rath Yatra began from the Jagannath temple.
The chariots were scheduled to reach Gundicha temple by the evening of Friday. But they had to be stopped on Grand Road as Lord Balabhadra's Taladwaja chariot got stuck while negotiating a turn, preventing the other two from advancing.
An estimated one million devotees participated in the annual Rath Yatra on Friday and around 5 lakh people were in the holy town on Saturday, PTI reported quoting officials.
Puri is witnessing unprecedented security arrangements with the deployment of around 10,000 personnel of Odisha Police, the central armed police force, NSG and others.
India