At least seven killed in stampede at Hindu temple in India

A deadly stampede struck the Ashok Dham Hindu temple in Bihar state's Lakhisarai district early Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring more than a dozen. Thousands of worshippers had gathered at the site to make offerings to the deity Shiva during the holy month of Shravan.

District magistrate Shailendra Kumar told AFP that panic broke out after rumours spread that an electricity pole had fallen on devotees inside the temple grounds. Other reports suggested fears of electrocution also contributed to the chaos, while Kumar said the near-simultaneous arrival of two trains had caused a sharp surge in the number of worshippers at the temple. As people tried to flee, a section of barricading collapsed.

Kumar said the situation was now under control and put the number of injured at 19. Local reports indicated that many of those caught in the crush were women, with at least four of the fatalities identified as women aged between 44 and 55.

Official response

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary called the deaths "heart-wrenching" and announced compensation of 400,000 rupees (around $4,180) for each victim's family. State minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the circumstances of the disaster would be investigated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered condolences to the victims' families, noting that local authorities were assisting those affected.

Deadly crowd crushes have repeatedly occurred at large religious gatherings in India, where enormous numbers of worshippers frequently overwhelm crowd-control measures. In 2024, more than 120 people were killed at a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh, one of the country's deadliest such disasters in recent years.