At least 17 people were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at a Durga Puja festival in north Kolkata, West Bengal, on Saturday evening, officials said. A seven-year-old girl was among the dead.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told reporters that the deaths were caused by the crush at the festival site. "Six bodies have so far been identified," he said.
Police said the stampede happened in the evening due to "heavy crowds of pandal hoppers amid rainfall." A senior police official at the scene told the AFP news agency that an announcement caused "commotion" after it started raining, and the "crowd waiting outside the pandal was pushing, pulling and rushing forward and fell on the ground, leading to the stampede." The injured were taken to hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as "saddening," writing on X: "Condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families." His office announced compensation of 200,000 rupees (about $2,106) for the families of those who died and 50,000 rupees (about $527) for each of the injured. Interior Minister Amit Shah said the administration was ensuring that all possible medical facilities were being provided.
Deadly crowd incidents occur frequently at Indian mass events, including religious festivals, often because of poor management and safety lapses. The source noted previous stampedes at the Kumbh Mela religious fair last year, which killed 30 people, a Bengaluru cricket celebration that killed 11 fans, a Tamil Nadu campaign rally that killed 36, and a 2024 Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh that killed 121.