19 dead, 25 injured in stampede at Hindu festival in India

At least 19 people lost their lives and 25 others were injured in a stampede that took place during a Hindu religious gathering in eastern India, officials and media reported.

The incident occurred outside a pavilion at the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata when sudden rainfall caused an announcement that led to commotion among the crowd, according to a senior police official.

The crowd waiting outside the pavilion began pushing and rushing forward, causing people to fall and triggering the stampede, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari said, noting that the fatalities included a seven-year-old girl.

Medics transported the injured, including a police officer, to a local hospital, while grieving relatives mourned the victims. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and noted that the West Bengal government is providing assistance to affected families.

Authorities have obtained closed circuit footage of the event and plan to take action against those responsible for crowd control failures. Videos prior to the stampede showed large crowds in narrow lanes leading to the pavilion, which allowed limited movement.

Such deadly crowd incidents are common at Indian mass events due to management and safety issues, with similar tragedies reported in recent years at other religious festivals.