At least 19 people were killed and about 25 others injured Saturday in eastern India when a stampede triggered by a sudden downpour during a Hindu religious gathering, authorities and local media reported.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvindhu Adhikari told reporters that a seven-year-old girl was among the dead, adding that 25 others were injured outside a pavilion set up for the Durga Puja Hindu festival in Kolkata. "The identities of six victims have been confirmed," he added.
A senior police official told AFP that an announcement caused "confusion" after rain began falling overnight. "The crowd waiting outside the pavilion started moving quickly, and then people began to fall to the ground, leading to the stampede," he explained.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented on the incident in a brief Facebook post, saying, "The stampede in Kolkata is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with the bereaved families, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."
He added, "The West Bengal government is providing all possible support to the affected families."
Adhikari initially announced 17 deaths, before the Press Trust of India later quoted him as saying the toll had risen to 19.
The agency reported that the bodies of nine of the victims had been released to their families, and that police had confiscated CCTV footage from the festival.
Footage taken before the incident showed huge crowds waiting to enter the pavilion designated for the celebration, in an area with narrow passageways that allowed only a limited number of people to pass at a time, according to the Indian Express.
Deadly stampedes are frequent at large gatherings in India, particularly during religious events, due to poor organization and lax safety measures.
Last year, a stampede at the Kumbh Mela religious festival killed 30 people and injured many others, while 11 fans died in Bengaluru during celebrations of the city's team winning its first Indian Premier League title.
Also in 2014, 36 people were killed in a stampede at an election rally for a former politician in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
In 2024, a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh killed 121 people.
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