Two more pilgrims injured in a stampede at a temple in West Bengal died on Friday, taking the death toll in the incident to five, police said.
Three persons were earlier killed and 60 others were injured on Friday after a portion of a wall near a temple in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district collapsed amid incessant rain, a minister said.
A stampede-like situation is said to have ensued at the Baba Loknath Mandir after heavy rain hit the area. Among those injured, three are in a critical condition, according to state police.
Rescue operations are currently underway at the spot. ADG South Bengal and DIG Presidency Range are camping at Kachua, Basirhat PD.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for those critically injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.
“The mishap at Kachua is unfortunate and tragic. Occurred after heavy rain. I visited CNMC and SSKM hospitals to meet families of the deceased and injured. Every death is a tragedy. But what we can do is to stand by the families in their moment of grief,” she tweeted.
‘Temple Area Overcrowded’
The CM said that the temple area was overcrowded when the incident happened.
"There is a large crowd at the Kachua Loknath temple this year. It started raining heavily in the wee hours and people tried to take shelter at makeshift bamboo stalls on the approach road to the temple. The bamboo structures collapsed after heavy rain. The place was narrow and in the rush, a few persons fell into the pond beside the temple and this created a confusion leading to a stampede-like situation there," the chief minister said, according to PTI.
Sources told The Indian Express that the local administration was not prepared to deal with such a huge crowd, believed to be larger than in previous years.
Injured Taken to Hospitals
Ten critically injured persons have been taken to Kolkata for better treatment, said state police. Three persons have succumbed to injuries and another three are in a very critical condition, they said. Five injured persons are in a hospital under Basirhat PS.
The three deceased have been identified as Aparna Sarkar, Tarun Mondal and Poornima Gorai, PTI quoted a senior officer of West Bengal police saying.
Senior ministers have reportedly been sent to Barasat Hospital, RG Kar Medical College and a hospital at Basirhat, while the CM has visited the National Medical College and SSKM hospitals, where the injured are admitted.
“Rescue operation is the prime objective now. I’m personally monitoring the situation,” Mamata Banerjee said.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh criticised the state government for not setting up proper infrastructure to deal with the rush of pilgrims.
"There is no point in running from one hospital to another now. Why should the CM be going to hospitals? The state government should have had proper arrangements in place, keeping in mind the huge turnout on this occasion," Ghosh said.
Lakhs of people gather at the Kachua Loknath temple every year on this day to celebrate the birth anniversary of Loknath Brahmachari.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
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