NEW DELHI: At least three people died and many were injured in a stampede at Saradhabali near the Gundicha Temple in Puri on Sunday.The deceased have been identified as Premakanta Mohanty, 80, Basanti Sahoo, 36 and Prabhati Das, 42, according to officials at the Puri district headquarters hospital. The stampede occurred between 4.00 and 5.00am when a large crowd of weekend pilgrims gathered to see the deities on their chariots. The chariots had arrived at Saradha Bali from the Jagannath Temple on Saturday, a day after the Rath Yatra. Eyewitnesses said the situation escalated when two trucks carrying wooden logs attempted to enter the already crowded area. “The narrow congregation site, combined with limited police presence and scattered palm-log ladders near the chariots, created hazardous conditions for devotees,” said Chinmay Patra, an eyewitness. Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan expressed his condolences and announced a high-level inquiry. “The tragedy involving three deaths has deeply saddened us. We will conduct a thorough investigation, and appropriate action will be taken against those whose negligence led to this unfortunate incident,” he said. The incident has raised fresh concerns over crowd management during major religious gatherings. “Friday’s Rath Yatra faced similar issues when Lord Jagannath’s chariot couldn’t be pulled due to overwhelming crowds. Sunday’s tragedy was a devastating repeat,” said local resident Debasis Das. This is the first time a fatal stampede has occurred outside the Gundicha Temple.12 patients in ICUOn Saturday, around 750 devotees had to be taken to hospital due to exhaustion and crowd pressure during Rath Yatra health authorities said.Officials said more than 230 devotees were admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), while around 520 others were treated at the district headquarters hospital (DHH).While most were discharged after first aid, one critically ill devotee was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hsopital, Cuttack, for advanced treatment. At least 12 patients are in the ICU.
