Seven pilgrims were killed and 17 injured, four of them seriously, when a stampede broke out early Thursday at the Gangasagar mela where lakhs of pilgrims had converged to take a holy dip on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'.
The stampede took place when a staircase leading to a river jetty broke down when the pilgrims were about to board a vessel to cross the Muri Ganga river and reach the Gangasagar islands, police said.
Around four lakh pilgrims had gathered to take a holy dip at the confluence of Ganga and the Bay of Bengal in the islands.
The dead included six elderly women and a child. Six of them have been identified as Saraboti Debi, 69, Ajunia Debi, 75, Rukmani Debi, 78, Meena Debi, 50, Kishori Debi, 50, and four-year-old Aditya Giri, police said.
Out of the 17 injured, 15 of them have been admitted to Kakdweep Hospital near here and two of the seriously injured has been brought to Diamond Harbour Hospital. PTI
