At least 19 people, mostly women, have been killed and many were injured in a stampede at a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi of India on Saturday.
The stampede broke out when thousands of devotees of a religious leader tried to cross a bridge at once, reports NDTV.
Followers of Jai Gurudev, the leader of a local sect, were moving in a procession and far too many were on the narrow roads to the Rajghat bridge than sanctioned, police officials said.
One man died of suffocation because of the surging crowds, which led to a commotion. Rumours that the bridge had collapsed fueled more chaos, said police chief Javeed Ahmed.
He said: “They had sought permission for 5,000 persons but many more people reached and joined the procession. We are investigating crowd management and will take action against those responsible.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in parliament, said he had asked officials to ensure all possible help. He is in Goa for a meeting of BRICS nations.
In October 2013, a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state in central India killed more than 110 people, mostly women and children.
Source: dhaka tribune
