At least 17 killed in stampede at religious gathering in India

At least 17 killed in stampede at religious gathering in India

The full report

A stampede during a Hindu religious festival in eastern India has killed at least 17 people and injured 25, officials said. The incident took place at a festival in north Kolkata in India's West Bengal state amid big crowds and rainfall, police said.

A seven-year-old girl was among the fatalities in Saturday's disaster in north Kolkata in West Bengal, the state's Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told reporters. Six bodies have so far been identified, Adhikari said.

The stampede happened in the evening due to 'heavy crowds of pandal hoppers amid rainfall', a police statement said. A senior police official at the scene told the AFP news agency that an announcement caused 'commotion' after it started raining and the 'crowd waiting outside the pandal [pavilion] was pushing, pulling and rushing forward and fell on the ground, leading to the stampede.'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as 'saddening.' Modi's office announced a compensation payment of 200,000 rupees ($2,106) for the next of kin of those who died and 50,000 rupees ($527) each for the injured. Interior Minister Amit Shah said the 'administration is ensuring that all possible medical facilities are being provided to the injured.'

Deadly crowd incidents happen frequently at Indian mass events, such as religious festivals, often due to poor management and safety lapses. Last year, a stampede at India's Kumbh Mela religious fair killed 30 people and injured several others.