Rain, Narrow Exit, Weekend Rush: Witnesses Recount Kolkata Puja Pandal Stampede

A stampede-like situation occurred at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening. According to the Free Press Journal, the incident arose from a crowd surge after it began raining, causing some people to fall on the road.

Police reported that at least 25 people were injured in the incident. While the Free Press Journal notes that at least 25 people were taken to the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital in serious condition, India Blooms reported that five people were critical. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal reached the medical college following the reports.

A local man whose daughter and granddaughter were among those injured stated that there was no lighting in the area and that both the entrance and the exit gate were very narrow, according to NDTV.

Brief written by urgent.news from NDTV - India News, NDTV, Free Press Journal — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.