At least 12 people were killed and 20 injured in a stampede that took place at dawn on Saturday in a religious shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir, an official told AFP.
“At least 12 people were killed and the death toll could be higher since the road leading to the shrine in top of a hill it was crowded with faithful who wanted to visit it to perform traditional prayers in New Year’s occasion, “the official said.
Mata Vaishno Devi shrine is one of the most important Hindu places in northern India, visited by tens of thousands of people every day.
The death toll was confirmed by another disaster management official, noting that the stampede occurred around 2:45 am on Saturday (21:15 GMT on Friday).
Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede to Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. Condolences to the families in mourning. May the wounded recover soon. I talked to JK LG Shri @mr_twt Ji, ministers Shri @DrJitendraSingh ji, @Nityanandraibjp Ji and took buffer stock of the situation.
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 1, 2022
“The government has ordered a high-level investigation into the precipitous accident at the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to express his regret over the incident and offered his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life,” Modi said in a tweet on Twitter, adding that he was following the details of the incident with local officials.
Read More About: World News