There has been a tragedy in the holy Mansa Devi Temple in the Haridwar region in Uttarakhand on Sunday. At least half a dozen pilgrims died in a stampede, and many others were severely hurt. The accident covered the sacred season of Shraavana, when lots of the pilgrims flock to the temple annually. As per the Garhwal Division Commissioner Vinay Shankar, the victims were immediately evacuated by ambulance to the local hospitals and their conditions were provided with emergency treatment.
It is not clear why the stampede occurred, but early reports indicate that a massive rush of worshipers resulted in the stampede within the temple compound. Law enforcers are now studying the chronology of the chain of events leading to the crowd crush that resulted in the tragic incident.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that he was very sorry about the deaths of the people and gave immediate support to the victims. He also assured that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), together with other emergency services, were mobilised to the venue, with relief and rescue operations being taken on a war footing. “Our top concerns are to give immediate relief to the injured and to maintain the safe atmosphere of all the devotees present in the place,” Dhami said.
This has since been brought under control by the Mansa Devi authorities and the local police force by sealing off the region to control the frenzy and eliminate chances of more accidents. Authorities have also started taking steps to ensure better crowd control and disaster management within the temple, which is otherwise a busy place, currently during the religious season.
Such a tragedy has left a shroud of sadness in Haridwar, one of the sacred pilgrimage places in India. National leaders and other devotees have offered condolences to the country, urging the authorities to take stern measures to prevent such occurrences in future.
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