Sixteen people, including 14 women, were killed and over 50 injured in a stampede here on Tuesday morning during a religious ceremony that was reportedly attended by nearly two lakh people.
The Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar, the organisers of the five-day 'Mahayagya' to mark the birth centenary of Acharya Pandit Shriram Sharma, claimed the incident took place when devotees started gate-crashing at one of the exit points.
But SDM Harbir Singh said: "Prima facie it appears that suffocation in the area due to smoke emanating from the yagya fireplaces led to the stampede, but the exact cause of the incident can be confirmed only after an inquiry."
Eyewitnesses said the area was overcrowded since 4 am, an hour before the yagya was scheduled to begin.
"There was barely any breathing space," said Saraswati Devi, 65, a survivor who came to attend the ceremony from Danapur, Bihar. "As we were nearing the steps leading to a foot overbridge, people started pushing from behind. After a woman tripped and fell, others started panicking. I too fell down and became unconscious," she added.
Doctors at the base hospital said over 150 people came for treatment. "Since this is a makeshift hospital and can accommodate only 100 patients, some were referred to other city hospitals. However, the number of seriously injured would not be more than five or seven," said a doctor.
District Magistrate Senthil Pandian has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. Pandian said most of the victims were from Jhansi, Munger and Sultanpur areas of Uttar Pradesh.
Following instructions from the district administration, the organisers today announced that the five-day ceremony would be curtailed, and would end on Wednesday.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri, who visited the mishap site, announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of deceased. An equal amount was announced as compensation by the organisers. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also sanctioned Rs 1 lakh for the relatives of the victims and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured.
The Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar, the organisers of the five-day 'Mahayagya' to mark the birth centenary of Acharya Pandit Shriram Sharma, claimed the incident took place when devotees started gate-crashing at one of the exit points.
But SDM Harbir Singh said: "Prima facie it appears that suffocation in the area due to smoke emanating from the yagya fireplaces led to the stampede, but the exact cause of the incident can be confirmed only after an inquiry."
Eyewitnesses said the area was overcrowded since 4 am, an hour before the yagya was scheduled to begin.
"There was barely any breathing space," said Saraswati Devi, 65, a survivor who came to attend the ceremony from Danapur, Bihar. "As we were nearing the steps leading to a foot overbridge, people started pushing from behind. After a woman tripped and fell, others started panicking. I too fell down and became unconscious," she added.
Doctors at the base hospital said over 150 people came for treatment. "Since this is a makeshift hospital and can accommodate only 100 patients, some were referred to other city hospitals. However, the number of seriously injured would not be more than five or seven," said a doctor.
District Magistrate Senthil Pandian has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. Pandian said most of the victims were from Jhansi, Munger and Sultanpur areas of Uttar Pradesh.
Following instructions from the district administration, the organisers today announced that the five-day ceremony would be curtailed, and would end on Wednesday.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri, who visited the mishap site, announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of deceased. An equal amount was announced as compensation by the organisers. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also sanctioned Rs 1 lakh for the relatives of the victims and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured.
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