Deogarh: At least 11 people have been killed and 20 others injured in a stampede at a temple in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of devotees flock to Baidyanath temple in the state’s Deoghar town in August to offer water from the Ganges River to Lord Shiva.
According to the district administration, the stampede occurred at 5 am when people tried to jump queue to get closer to the temple dedicated to Goddess Durga, Shiva’s consort.
The injured are being treated at local hospital.
The town sees the maximum crowd on Monday. Last week more than 100,000 people had converged at the temple. The district administration had held a review meeting of arrangements on Sunday to monitor the situation.
The town has witnessed stampedes in the past as well. In August 2007, at least five women were killed and 11 injured in a stampede at the Baba Baidyanath temple.