Kolkata stampede kills 19: How do crowd disasters happen, how can they be prevented?

Kolkata, October 18 - A tragic stampede during sudden rainfall at a Hindu religious gathering in eastern India claimed at least 19 lives and left around 25 others injured, officials and media reported. West Bengal’s Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari confirmed the fatalities, including a seven-year-old girl, and stated that 25 people sustained injuries outside a pavilion during the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata.

Adhikari informed reporters that six bodies have been identified so far. A police official attributed the incident to commotion caused by rain and a chaotic crowd, pushing, pulling, and rushing forward, resulting in individuals falling and colliding on the ground, leading to the stampede. Medics were seen moving injured individuals, including a police officer, on stretchers to a local hospital.

Relatives of the victims were seen mourning as they held each other. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sorrow over the tragedy on Facebook, offering condolences to the bereaved families and wishing the injured a swift recovery. The government assured that all possible assistance would be provided to the affected families.

Initially, Adhikari announced 17 fatalities, but the death toll rose to 19 in a later statement. Nine bodies have been released to their families. The Press Trust of India reported that police have obtained CCTV footage from the festival and plan to take action against those on camera who failed in their crowd control responsibilities.

Footage from before the incident suggests a large crowd waiting to enter the pavilion, with narrow lanes that permit only a few people to pass at once. Such deadly crowd incidents are not uncommon at large Indian events like religious festivals due to poor management and safety lapses. Last year, a stampede at India’s Kumbh Mela religious fair resulted in 30 deaths and numerous injuries, while celebrations for a cricket team’s first Indian Premier League title in Bengaluru saw 11 fans crushed to death.

In the same year, a stampede during a campaign rally of a popular actor-turned-politician in Tamil Nadu killed 36 people. In 2024, another stampede during a Hindu religious gathering claimed 121 lives in northern Uttar Pradesh.