Stampede at Bihar Temple Leaves 7 Dead, Over a Dozen Injured

A stampede at a temple in eastern India's Bihar state has left at least seven people dead and over a dozen injured, Indian media reported. The incident took place at the Ashok Dham temple in the Lakhisarai district as a swell of devotees thronged the site to offer water to Lord Shiva on what Hindus consider an auspicious Monday of the ongoing holy month of Shravan.

Shivam Kumar, a senior police officer, told news agency ANI that an electric pole fell at the site, sparking panic that led to the stampede. "We can tell you the exact reason only after verifying everything," he added. Lakhisarai district magistrate Shailendra Kumar told ANI that a barricade broke because of the rush and people fell on each other. He said at least 19 people with injuries were being treated in hospital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the deaths in the incident. "Pained by the loss of lives due to a stampede in Lakhisarai, Bihar. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is assisting those affected," the prime minister's office quoted him as saying.

Injured receiving treatment

A probe is underway to determine the cause of the crush. Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said that his government had given orders for the injured to receive swift treatment. "The news of the deaths of devotees in the accident has left my heart deeply distressed. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," he wrote in a post in Hindi on X.

Crowd crushes are relatively common in India during religious festivals. In March, nine people, mostly women, were killed in a stampede at another temple in Bihar's Nalanda district.

Edited by: Natalie Muller