Hundreds of people have died in a deadly temple stampede in Jodhpur in north-western India. The Chamunda Devi temple is an ancient temple where thousands of devotees had gathered to celebrate the start of the Hindu festival of Navratri.
from BBC News
Scores die in India temple crush
At least 147 people have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, the state government says. Scores more were injured, many seriously, in the crush at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur.
A wall near the temple is said to have collapsed, causing panic among thousands of devotees marking the start of the Hindu Navaratri festival. There have been a number of recent deadly stampedes at Indian temples. The BBC in Delhi says this is the fourth time this year that lives had been lost – probably needlessly – during a stampede at a religious festival in India.
He says crowd control at such events is usually rudimentary and the police simply not trained in effective crowd management. Last month 140 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a mountain temple in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.
The Chamunda Devi temple is inside the huge 15th Century Mehrangarh Fort, high above Jodhpur’s “blue city”. It is popular with tourists and local people – particularly at this time, the start of the nine-day festival of Navaratri.
