17 dead, 25 hurt in stampede at Durga Puja gathering in Kolkata

At least 17 people were killed and 25 injured in a stampede that occurred during a Durga Puja gathering in Kolkata, India, on Saturday. The fatalities, including a seven-year-old girl, were attributed to the sudden onset of rain and subsequent crowd chaos at a pavilion outside the religious festival. West Bengal’s Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari confirmed the incident, with six bodies already identified.

The tragic event highlights the recurring issue of deadly crowd incidents at mass gatherings in India, often due to poor management and safety measures. Similar stampedes have occurred in the past, such as at a Hindu temple in Bihar in August, which resulted in seven deaths and 19 injuries, and at India’s Kumbh Mela religious fair last year, where 30 people lost their lives.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.