Indian Temple Stampede Kills Seven, Injures Dozens in Bihar

A stampede at the Ashok Dham temple in Lakhisarai district, Bihar, eastern India, killed seven people and injured nineteen others early Monday morning.

Thousands of worshippers had gathered to offer prayers to the Hindu deity Shiva during the holy month of Shravan. District magistrate Shailendra Kumar stated that panic broke out after rumors spread that an electricity pole had fallen on devotees, with other reports suggesting fears of electrocution contributed to the panic. Senior police officer Shivam Kumar noted, "It is being said that an electric pole fell there and people were electrocuted, which led to a stampede-like situation."

The arrival of two trains within a short period caused an unprecedented surge in the number of worshippers, according to Shailendra Kumar. A section of barricading subsequently collapsed under the crowd's weight, causing people to fall on one another. One devotee reported that 10 to 12 women pushed their way in, leading to 20 to 25 women falling on top of each other.

Many of those caught in the crush were women, with at least four of those killed identified as women aged between 44 and 55. Bihar's Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the deaths as heart-wrenching and announced compensation of 400,000 rupees ($4,180) for the family of each person killed. State minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the circumstances surrounding the disaster would be investigated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences to the victims' families. This incident marks the second stampede at an Indian temple this year, highlighting that crowd crushes are relatively common during religious festivals in India.