In yet another horrifying incident during the sacred Sawan month, a deadly stampede broke out at the Awsaneshwar Mahadev Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district, claiming at least two lives in the early hours of Monday. The chaos erupted after a live electric wire fell onto a tin shed, electrocuting several devotees and triggering mass panic during the religious gathering.
Media reports, citing eyewitnesses, claimed the incident occurred around 3 am as a large crowd of worshippers had assembled at the temple in Haidergarh for the Jalabhishek ritual.
One report said that monkeys jumped onto an overhead electric wire. Panic ensued as they fell onto the tin shed.
The moment the live wire struck the metal shed, electric current surged through the structure. It instantly sparked chaos among the devotees.
District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi confirmed that the electrical surge was triggered when monkeys jumped onto the overhead wires, causing them to fall onto the tin shed. He told a section of the media that devotees had assembled for darshan on the third Monday of Sawan.
Prashant (22), a resident of Mubarakpura village was reportedly among the dead. The identity of the second victim has not been established at the time of this article going live.
Both died during treatment at the Trivediganj Community Health Center.
Following the tragedy, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended his condolences to the grieving families. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs for the bereaved families, besides ordering immediate medical care for the injured.
This marks the second fatal stampede in two days.
Police were already deployed at the temple when the tragedy occurred. An investigation has been launched.
Earlier, eight lives were lost and 30 people injured at the Mansa Devi Temple in Haridwar following a surge of panic over rumors of electric current near the stairway entrance. The resulting chaos overwhelmed the crowd of pilgrims.
Haridwar SSP Pramendra Singh Dobal told media outlets that the disaster occurred amid heavy footfall. Devotees reportedly climbed towards the hilltop shrine.
The temple is situated over 500 feet above sea level in the Shivalik hills. Last weekend, it attracted a huge crowd.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
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