Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede Death Toll Rises to 19 After Sudden Downpour Sparks Crush at Pandal Exit
The death toll from a stampede at a Durga Puja festival pandal in Kolkata, India, has risen to 19. The crush happened at about 7:40 p.m. local time on October 17 at the exit of a festival pandal at Sarada Park in North Kolkata, in the Girish Park police station area, on Saptami, the seventh day of the multi-day festival, when crowds were at their peak.
According to AFP, a sudden downpour sent crowds surging for shelter through the narrow exit and lanes, pushing and falling over one another. A senior police officer at the scene told AFP that an announcement made during the rainfall triggered a commotion as people pushed forward and fell. Reuters first reported at least 17 deaths, including 13 women and one child; Xinhua reported on October 18 that the toll had since risen to 19, with 25 people injured and taken to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, one of them in critical condition, and nine bodies released to families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and announced payments from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund of 200,000 rupees to each bereaved family and 50,000 rupees to each injured person. The West Bengal government announced 2.5 million rupees per bereaved family plus a government job for one family member, 500,000 rupees for each injured person, and full coverage of treatment costs.
The state government has formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate, and the pandal has been closed. Durga Puja is West Bengal's largest religious festival, drawing millions of visitors to temporary pandals across the city each year. (GSM, from Reuters, AFP and Xinhua reports)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片 Image: Kolkata 杜尔加女神节神像棚资料图（Chalta Bagan, North Kolkata，非事发现场）A Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata (file photo, not the incident site), Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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