Three people were killed and six others injured during a stampede at a religious festival in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Sunday, local officials have confirmed.
The incident occurred at dawn in the coastal city of Puri, where thousands of Hindu devotees had gathered for the annual Rath Yatra, or chariot festival. The victims were caught in a sudden surge of people as crowds swelled around the ceremonial chariots.
“Three people have died and six sustained injuries; none of them are serious and all are out of danger,” Odisha’s Director General of Police, Y.B. Khurania, told Reuters.
A senior administrative official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to media restrictions, said safety protocols were overwhelmed as the gathering rapidly expanded in the early hours.
Stampedes are a recurring danger during large religious events in India, where millions of worshippers often crowd into confined spaces. Earlier this year, 39 people were killed in a stampede during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, northern India.
Authorities in Odisha have launched an investigation into the latest incident and say crowd control measures will be reviewed to prevent future tragedies.
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