Death toll rises to 19 in India religious festival stampede

At least 19 people have been killed in a stampede at a Durga Puja festival in Kolkata after heavy crowds gathered at a temporary pavilion amid rainfall, officials said on Saturday.

Incident details

The incident occurred at a pandal in the West Bengal capital on Saturday evening. A police statement attributed the crush to "heavy crowds of pandal hoppers amid rainfall," adding that all injured were rescued and hospitalized.

Government response

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari confirmed 25 people were injured, with 24 recovered and one remaining in critical condition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the stampede as "saddening" on social media platform X, offering condolences to bereaved families. "The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help," Modi wrote on X, while Interior Minister Amit Shah added on the platform that the "administration is ensuring that all possible medical facilities are being provided to the injured."

Festival context

Durga Puja draws millions of devotees to temporary pandals across West Bengal annually. Saturday's tragedy marks one of the deadliest stampedes at the festival in recent years.