Two separate tragedies in eastern India resulted in at least 14 deaths on Monday, as a stampede at a Hindu temple in Bihar state and a hotel fire in West Bengal state occurred within hours of each other. Police confirmed that seven people died in the temple stampede, while at least seven others were killed in the hotel blaze, with several more individuals left in critical condition.
In Bihar, the stampede occurred around 6:30 a.m. at a Hindu temple. According to civil official Shailendra Kumar, more than a dozen people were transported to a government hospital for treatment. Preliminary reports indicate that an electric wire snapped outside the temple, causing panic among devotees who feared they were at risk of electrocution. As the crowd surged to escape, a section of the barricades collapsed under the pressure, leading to a crush where people fell over one another. Authorities are currently investigating the exact cause of the incident.
Earlier that morning, at approximately 4:30 a.m., a fire broke out in the temple town of Tarapith, located in West Bengal’s Birbhum district. The blaze started on the ground floor of a four-story hotel while most of the guests were asleep. Management at the hotel stated that the fire likely originated near the reception area, possibly due to an electrical component in the building's power supply system. Authorities are still investigating the incident and have not yet confirmed the definitive cause.
Crowd crushes remain a recurring issue in India during religious festivals, where millions of people often gather in confined areas with limited safety or crowd control measures. In January of last year, at least 30 people were killed during the Maha Kumbh festival as crowds rushed to bathe in a sacred river. Additionally, in 2013, a panic over a potential bridge collapse at a temple in Madhya Pradesh resulted in the deaths of at least 115 people who were crushed or drowned.
