Goa stampede: Did overcrowding, slope cause Shirgaon temple tragedy?

Six people were killed and more than 30 injured after a stampede broke out during a procession at the Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgaon, around 40km from Panaji. State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said eight people are in critical condition and two were referred to the Goa Medical College and Hospital in Bambolim.

 

Thousands of devotees had arrived in Shirgaon village of north Goa, to witness and take part in the annual festival, the highlight of which is the dhondachi jatra, during which devotees walk barefoot across burning embers chanting the name of goddess Lairai, believed to be an incarnation of goddess Parvati.

 

Thousands of devotees from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka attend the annual festival.

 

The incident occurred around 3am. Director General of Police Alok Kumar told PTI that least 30,000 to 40,000 people had gathered for the festival. Some were standing on a slope, he said, and when they fell, they brought down others, too, leading to 40 to 50 people falling on the slope, and resulting in the stampede.

 

The situation turned worse because of the large number of devotees, as the police officers deployed found it difficult to manage the panicking crowd.

 

The injured have been admitted to the Goa Medical College (GMC) and the North Goa District Hospital in Mapusa. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the North Goa District Hospital to meet the injured, and also visited the Bicholim Hospital earlier in the day.

India