Eastern India Temple Stampede and Hotel Fire Kill 14 as Electrical Faults Trigger Panic
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 17
Eastern India Temple Stampede and Hotel Fire Kill 14 as Electrical Faults Trigger Panic
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 17
Summary
Seven people died and more than a dozen were injured in a stampede near Bihar's Ashok Dham Temple after a snapped electric wire reportedly sparked fears of electrocution among thousands of worshippers.
Another seven people were killed hours earlier in a four-story hotel fire in Tarapith, West Bengal, where many guests were pilgrims asleep when flames broke out on the ground floor.
Officials said barricades collapsed in the Bihar crush as devotees surged to escape, while hotel management said the West Bengal blaze may have started near the reception area after an electrical component caught fire.
Both causes remain under investigation, with several fire victims critically injured and others treated for burns, smoke inhalation and asphyxiation.
The twin incidents again highlight recurring safety failures at India's religious gatherings, where dense crowds and weak crowd-control measures have caused repeated mass-casualty disasters.