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The stampede broke out as thousands of devotees thronged narrow
lanes leading to a temple in Shirgao village, some 40 kilometers
from the state capital of Panaji, the agency quoted police as
saying.
Tens of thousands of devotees from Goa and neighboring states of
Maharashtra and Karnataka attended the annual Hindu festival at
Sree Lairai Devi temple.
The stampede was caused as people standing on a slope near the
temple fell over, pushing more people to fall onto each other,
Director General of Police Alok Kumar said, according to the
news agency.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Authorities ordered a probe into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the loss of
lives and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
“The local administration is assisting those affected,” Modi
said on social media.
Deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious
festivals, where large crowds often gather in small areas.
In January, at least 30 people died and many more were injured
in a stampede as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to bathe in
a sacred river at India’s massive Maha Kumbh festival, the
world’s largest religious gathering.
In July, at least 116 people died, most of them women and
children, when thousands at a religious gathering in northern
India stampeded at a tent camp in Hathras town.
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