At least 19 people were killed and 25 others injured in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening after heavy rain and a sudden rush of visitors triggered a deadly crowd surge.
The incident took place at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal, where a large number of visitors had gathered. Preliminary accounts from the police and state government suggest that as rain began, people waiting outside moved towards the pavilion. An announcement over the public-address system may have added to the confusion, prompting people to push forward and causing several to fall.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the deceased included a seven-year-old girl. He initially put the death toll at 17, but the number later rose to 19, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI), which cited a subsequent statement by the chief minister.
“Six bodies have so far been identified,” Adhikari told reporters.
A senior police official at the scene told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that an announcement made after the rain began caused a commotion among the crowd. People waiting outside the pandal began pushing, pulling and rushing forward, causing several people to fall to the ground and triggering the stampede.
The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, with emergency responders carrying several people on stretchers. A police officer was among those injured. At the hospital, relatives gathered to identify victims and await news of their loved ones. Some were seen crying and consoling one another as they mourned those killed in the incident.
PTI reported that nine bodies had been handed over to the victims’ families.
Police have detained members of the Puja committee and private security personnel as part of the investigation. Authorities are examining the circumstances that led to the crowd surge, including the role of the announcement and the movement of visitors around the pandal. The exact sequence of events and the factors that caused the stampede are yet to be established.
Following the incident, the administration asked several other crowded Durga Puja pandals to temporarily stop admitting visitors, according to media reports. The move came amid concerns about crowd management at venues attracting large numbers of people during the festival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery in a statement posted on Facebook.
“The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families,” he said.
