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.

A rain shelter on the mountain path to the temple collapsed, triggering rumours of a landslide.

Many of the victims were children, trampled to death during the panic. Fifty more people were hurt and are being treated in hospital.

Tens of thousands of devotees had been gathering to celebrate the annual nine-day festival of Shravan Navratras.

An investigation is now under way into the incident at the Nainadevi temple, in the Bilaspur district, about 160km (100 miles) from the Himalayan hill town of Shimla.

Most of the worshippers are believed to be from the neighbouring state of Punjab.

Sunday crowds
Thousands of Hindu worshippers were climbing up a 4-km (2.5-mile) trail leading to the hilltop temple, chanting and singing hymns, when the stampede happened.

The rain shelter collapsed during poor weather conditions, causing widespread panic.

Children lost their grip on their mothers’ hands and were crushed under the feet of scared pilgrims attempting to leap over broken railings to save themselves, witnesses said.

Television footage showed the narrow path strewn with torn clothes and bags of flowers and offerings.

Survivors gathered at nearby hospitals looking for injured relatives.

The chief minister of Himachal Pradesh is said to have offered compensation to those injured in the stampede, and to the families of those killed.

Indian temples are regularly hit by stampedes, as huge crowds of Hindu devotees flock to make offerings at festival times.

There have been at least three fatal stampedes in the country so far during 2008, although the numbers killed were far smaller than in the latest incident.

Read Full Article – Indian temple stampede kills hundreds
Source: BBC News