Mata Vaishno Devi is one of the most venerated Hindu sanctuaries in northern India, with tens of thousands of people flocking to the shrine on a daily basis to offer prayers.
A stampede at a religious shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir has claimed the lives of at least 12 persons and injured another 13.
While it was still dark on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine, one of the country’s most revered Hindu sites, the disaster occurred around 3 a.m. (21:30 GMT) while it was still dark.
At least 12 people were killed and another 13 were injured, according to an official from the administration.
In addition, the approach to the hilltop temple was jam-packed with devotees who were attempting to make the annual new-year visit and prayers.”
It has been reported in other news outlets that up to 20 individuals have been hurt. Multiple ambulances were seen racing to the scene of the accident, according to the images shown by the television station.
An overwhelming number of people flocking to the temple to pay their respects to commemorate the beginning of the New Year, according to accounts, sparked the stampede.
When something happened near one of the gates, I found myself suffocating in a crowd of onlookers. “I suffocated and fell, but I was able to get back up,” Mahesh, who only supplied his first name, recollected.
People were walking over the bodies, I noticed. Despite the horrible scene, he was able to assist in the rescue of a number of others who had been hurt.
“People tripped over one another… According to witness Ravinder, who spoke to AFP by phone from the scene, “it was difficult to determine whose leg or arms were entwined with whose.”
“By the time the ambulances arrived, which took approximately half an hour, I had assisted in the recovery of eight dead.” “I consider myself fortunate to be alive, but the memories of what I witnessed are still fresh in my mind.”
The Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in northern India is one of the most venerated Hindu sanctuaries in the world, with tens of thousands of people visiting every day to offer prayers.
Using Twitter, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his sympathies to the victims of the attack.
“Extremely pained by the loss of life caused by a stampede,” Modi stated in his Facebook post.
In a statement released on social media, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind expressed his “deep sadness” at learning of the deaths of pilgrims at Mata Vaishno Devi due to a “unfortunate stampede.”
“Please accept my heartfelt sympathies on behalf of the departed families. “I wish those who have been injured a swift recovery,” he continued.
According to the Lt Governor’s office in Jammu and Kashmir, a “high level probe” has been ordered into the occurrence to look into the circumstances surrounding it.
The occurrence of deadly stampedes is rather prevalent during Indian religious festivals, when big crowds congregate in tiny spaces with little safety or crowd control measures in place.
In October 2016, a stampede at a Hindu religious ceremony on the outskirts of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh state known for its temples, claimed the lives of at least 24 people and injured scores more.
In October 2013, a stampede in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh claimed the lives of more than 110 individuals, the majority of whom were women and children.
More than 370 Hindus were killed in two stampedes that occurred in India in the same month in 2008. Others, including one in Kerala in 2011 and another in Madhya Pradesh two years later, each killed more than one hundred people.
