Three killed, several injured in stampede in Puri

Puri(By Abhishek Mohanty): At least three devotees died and several others were injured in a stampede that occurred near the Gundicha Temple in Puri in the wee hours on Sunday.

The mishap took place at 4:20 AM when hundreds of devotees had gathered for darshan of Lord Jagannath and his holy siblings on their respective chariots.

The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu (42) from Bolagarh, Premakanta Mohanty (78) and Pravati Das (52) from Balipatna.

Eyewitnesses said that some devotees sustained injuries while workers were unloading wooden logs from a truck, leading to a stampede. At the time, more than 500 devotees were seated on plastic mats. More than 50 people were trampled in the overwhelming rush. The huge surge reportedly triggered the stampede.

The husband of one of the victims alleged that no one responded when the incident took place.

Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said, "A thorough probe into the matter will be conducted. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty."

DGP YB Khurania visited the spot and took stock of the situation.