At least 80 pilgrims were killed and over 30 others injured today in a stampede at the Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh.
"According to latest reports, the number of people dead is 80. At least 30 people have been injured," Himachal Pradesh Government's Principal Secretary P C Kapoor said.
The temple is located about 160 kms from Shimla. A large number of pilgrims had gathered to offer prayers on the occasion of 'Navratra' at the temple where a railing on the way to it collapsed due to heavy rush resulting in the stampede, official sources said.
More than 30 devotees were injured in the incident that took place around 1000 hrs, the Additional District Magistrate C P Verma told PTI from the spot, about 50 kms from district headquarters of Bilaspur.
Naina Devi tehsildar Narendra, who is also the temple officer, said the death toll could go up.
The ADM said that the tragedy took place when people gathered at one place in the temple following rumours of landslide and rolling down of stones from a nearby hill top.
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The commotion caused by the rumours apparently led to the stampede which took place as a sudden rush was caused by people returning from the temple and those going up on a 4 km trek to reach it.
"The stampede happened after a railing collapsed. People started running here and there," Kapoor said. A large number of the devotees were from Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Punjab. Superintendent of Police K K Indoria and other senior civil and police officials were at the spot to supervise the relief work which was hampered due to rain.
A temple functionary said devotees with minor injuries have been sent to a hospital in nearby Dawar Chowk while those with serious injuries were being sent to hospitals in Punjab's Anandpur Sahib. Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) S R Mardi has rushed to the incident site from Shimla. BJP MLA Randhir Sharma from Kot Kahloor, under which the Naina Devi temple of Goddess Durga falls, has also rushed to the spot.