Stampede In Indian Temple Leaves 11 Dead And Dozens Injured

At least 11 pilgrims have died in a stampede on Monday morning in Eastern India, while dozens more were taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries. The deadly stampede started as Hindus who were observing the holy month of Sawan Somvar tried to jump the line as the temple's gates were being opened.

The incident occurred at daybreak on Monday, when thousands of people attempted to force their way into the Baidyanath temple in Belabagan in Deogarh district, a town in Jharkhand state, according to USA Today.

Amit Kumar, deputy police commissioner of the Deogarh district in the eastern state of Jharkhand, stated that 10 men and a woman perished "as the devotees tried to overtake each other" in order to enter the temple.

The pilgrims were participating in a month-long festival that begins when hundreds of thousands of devotees make pilgrimages to the temple every August in order to offer holy water to Lord Shiva, the destroyer, and one of the main deities of Hinduism, reports NBC News.

Mondays are usually the busiest days, with tens of thousands of people lining up in order to enter the temple. It is not uncommon to see lines leading up to the temple stretching for miles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his condolences to those affected by the tragedy, stating that he was "pained at the loss of lives due to the stampede in Jharkhand" and that his thoughts were "with the families of the deceased in this hour of grief."

India has recently become the center of news, as the country banned hundreds of pornographic websites, and reinstated them immediately after, as covered in this HNGN article.

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Indian, India, Temple, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi