At least one was killed and several others were injured in a stampede-like situation in Odisha’s Cuttack. Officially, the death toll is yet to be confirmed.
The incident occurred at Singhanath Pitha on T Bridge in Badamba-Gopinathpur. Over 2 lakh people devotees had visited the ‘pitha’ for Makar Sankranti.
Badamba-Narsinghpur MLA and former minister Debi Prasad Mishra confirmed that one woman, identified as 45-year-old Anjana Swain, died in the incident, while four seriously injured people were admitted to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack city, reported news agency PTI.
Mishra said other injured persons were admitted to a community health centre (CHC) in Badamba.
Athagarh Sub-collector Hemanta Kumar Swain said the incident took place due to a sudden increase in the number of devotees.
The district administration said the congregation was massive as people were visiting the temple after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Devotees from Cuttack, Khordha, Puri, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh and Nayagarh districts had come to the temple in large numbers.
