Seven persons died and 5 others were injured due to a stampede in Jehanabad.

Seven persons died and 5 others were injured due to a stampede in Jehanabad.

Patna August 12: Seven persons died and 5 others due to stampede in Bihar’s Jehanabad district in the wee hours of Monday.

The deceased including 5 women and 2 children died on the spot while 5 others were injured and have been admitted to Sadar Hospital Jehanabad.

Rajeev Kumar Singh, the SDPO of Jehanabad confirms the incident. He said that the injured persons and the dead bodies were transported to the hospital. The situation at present is normal.

The tragic incident occurred at Baba Sidhnath Dham temple located in Wanavar village under Makhdumpur block in the district. The temple is located on a small mountain which is two KM away from the foothill, attracting a significant crowd, leading to a narrow lane becoming overcrowded on the fourth Monday of Auspicious Sawan Month around midnight. The devotees gathered there to offer water on the Shivling of Lord Shiva.

“The lane going to the mountain was narrow and the crowds gathered at the place were in large numbers. We are making efforts to find out the reason that triggered the stampede,” Singh said.

While the exact reason for the stampede is still under investigation, sources have said that a quarrel between the traders and devotees while in the queue may have triggered the chaos. The district administration is currently working to verify the claims.

Around 60 to 70 thousand devotees had gathered around midnight, significantly exceeding the expectations of the district administration. The temple, which had been closed for 15 minutes, saw a surge of people when it reopened, leading to a stampede both inside and just outside the temple premises.    

The eyewitnesses have said that a large number of people gathered there and were beyond expectation of the district administration. A few police personnel were present there but they were unable to control such a large crowd.

As people began to panic and run, the situation quickly escalated into a full-blown stampede, resulting in numerous casualties.

Following the incident, senior officials of the district administration reached there and rescued the victims.

EOM.

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