Around 1.5 million devotees witnessed the century’s first Nabakalebar Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath here on Saturday that was marred by stampede during the pulling of chariots in which two women were killed and 10 others were injured.
“Two women died in the incident and some injured persons were taken to district headquarters hospital,” chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Puri Gyanendra Sahu said. Two of the injured persons were referred to SCB Medical College as their condition was critical, he said.
The stampede was the result of a sudden surge in the crowd surrounding the chariot as it was proceeding towards the Gundicha Temple, police said. The identity of the deceased, aged around 60 years, is yet to be ascertained.
Deadly stampedes are fairly common during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety or crowd control measures.
On Tuesday, tens of thousands of pilgrims taking part in a Hindu religious bathing festival surged forward and triggered a massive stampede on a riverbank in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state, leaving at least 27 dead and dozens injured.
In October 2013, a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state in central India killed more than 110 people, mostly women and children.