Gopalganj: A stampede broke out during 'Maha Navami' celebrations at a Raja Dal Durga Puja pandal in Bihar’s Gopalganj leaving three people dead, police said on Monday (October 23). The deceased included a five-year-old boy and two women who were trampled upon by the crowd when they were trying to rescue the former in the stampede that broke out at around 8.30 pm. Six other people sustained injuries in the incident and were shifted to Gopalganj Sadar hospital for treatment. According to the police, the women died while enroute to the hospital.
“There was a stampede near the gate of Raja Dal Puja Pandal around 8.30 pm. A child fell to the ground and was trampled upon as the revellers ran helter-skelter. Two women rushed to the child's rescue but also ended up being trampled upon by the crowds. The women gasped for air and succumbed while being rushed to a hospital. The local magistrate and a police team arrived at the spot and took control of the situation,” Gopalganj SP said.
District Magistrate details the incident
According to the District Magistrate Nawal Kishor Choudhary, huge crowd had gathered on the occasion of Navami leading to overcrowding when the incident happened. A child fell and was trampled upon by the crowd, he said.
“There were huge crowds of revellers across Durga Puja pandals on Navami today. A child fell to the ground due to overcrowding at the gate of a Puja pandal, and was trampled upon as revellers ran helter-skelter during the stampede. Two women, who ran in to save the child, also fell and couldn't get back on their feet. They gasped for air and succumbed while being taken to a hospital barely 200 metres away,” he said.
He further informed that the crowd was dispersed in an orderly manner and the situation was brought under control accordingly.
(With ANI inputs)
