• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

At Least 39 Killed in Stampede in India

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 August 2003, 06:00 CDT

The collapse of a barricade set off a stampede of thousands of people at a Hindu religious festival Wednesday in western India, killing at least 39 people and injuring 125 more, an official said.

The stampede took place as more than a million Hindu devotees assembled for a religious bathing festival in the Godavari River outside the town of Nasik, about 110 miles northeast of Bombay.

Nasik Mayor Dashrath Patil said 39 people had been killed and at least 125 had been injured. Two of the injured were police officers, he said.

The injured were brought to Nasik hospitals in ambulances, cars and police vehicles.

"There were some 50,000 people behind one barricade and they were pushing. The barricade suddenly broke and they just fell down," said Chhagan Bhujbal, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state.

"People at the back just began walking on them and that's how the stampede happened," said Bhujbal. "It was a tragic accident."

After the stampede, tens of thousands of pilgrims continued worshipping at the festival area, which is spread across dozens of acres.

The Kumbh Mela festival is held every 12 years, timed in connection with alignments of the Sun and Jupiter. While the main festival is held near the city of Allahabad, the Nasik festival is one of the "mini-Kumbhs" that are held more often.

Stampedes are not uncommon at major Hindu religious festivals, which can attract millions of worshippers.

In 1999, 51 pilgrims died after a stampede caused a landslide at a Hindu shrine in southern India. The stampede began when a rope meant to channel the flow of people snapped.

In 1986, 50 people died in a stampede in the town of Haridwar and in 1954 about 800 pilgrims died during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.

The Godavari is considered sacred by Hindus, who believe they can rid themselves of sin by bathing there during special days and festivals.

Some 60 million people are estimated to take part at various times during the festival, which started July 30 and ends Sept. 1.

Police in Nasik said 1.5 million to 1.6 million people were attending the festival Wednesday.

It has been a difficult week for the people of Maharashtra state. On Monday, a pair of car bombs exploded in Bombay, the state capital, killing 51 people. Authorities have blamed Muslim militants.

More News in this Category