Dehradun, (UNI) Eight devotees lost their lives and 30 others sustained injuries in a stampede at renowned Mansadevi Temple in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar on Sunday morning.
The administration claimed that the panic created by the fall of an electric wire on the temple steps in the presence of a huge crowd led to the tragedy.
“The toll has gone up to 8. The injury figure is 30,” an official said.
Earlier, the Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey confirmed the death of the six pilgrims. He said that the exact cause of the stampede will be known only after the probe. However, officials in Haridwar district administration claimed that the fatailities happened as an electric wire dropped on the temple steps after breaking away from the pole. This caused a panic among the public leading to chaos and the stampede.
“It’s learnt that breaking away of a wire from an electric pole was the main cause of the stampede. However, more details could be ascertained only after the probe. Injured people were rushed to the government hospital. They are undergoing treatment,” said Haridwar District Magistrate Mayur Dixit.
Neither Pandey nor the Haridwar district magistrate shared more details as to the accident.
A statement issued by the state disaster management department confirmed 28 devotees were injured in the stampede. Five of the injured were in serious condition and admitted at AIIMs Rishikesh while 23 others were undergoing medication at two government hospitls in Haridwar.
Reacting to the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid his tribute to the deceased devotees and announced ₹2lakh compensation to each of their families.
In a social media post, Dhami said, “The news of the heartbreaking incident on Mansa Devi Temple steps in Haridwar … is extremely saddening. I pray God to grant peace to the souls of the deceased devotees and provide strength to the grieving families to bear their sorrow. State government will provide an assistance of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 each to the injured persons.” Dhami also announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
Pandey, who headed to the accident spot from Dehradun, said the situation was brought under control within a few hours of starting rescue and relief operation by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police and the district administration.
