At least 19 killed in stampede at religious gathering in India

Incident took place at festival in Kolkata, in India’s West Bengal state, amid large crowds and rainfall, police say.

People gather outside as police officers set up a barricade at the entrance to a worship venue for the Hindu festival of Durga Puja following a stampede, in Kolkata, India, on Saturday, October 17, 2026 [AP Photo]

A “stampede” during a Hindu religious festival in eastern India has killed at least 19 people and injured 25 others, officials said.

The stampede in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, happened on Saturday night when a crowd near a pavilion ran for cover as it began raining during Durga Puja, an annual Hindu festival celebrating the goddess Durga.

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According to police, some worshippers fell on the road and were trampled.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who visited Kolkata Medical College and Hospital where victims were taken, said 19 people had died and 25 were receiving treatment.

Among the dead was a seven-year-old girl, Adhikari told reporters.

He announced that a special investigation team to be headed by a judge of the state’s high court would look into the disaster.

Police detained some pavilion organisers, private security personnel and on-duty staff, and launched a probe into any crowd-control and safety lapses.

Police said the injured were taken to hospital from a Durga Puja pandal, a temporary pavilion housing idols of the goddess Durga at a festival which attracts thousands of ⁠⁠⁠⁠devotees.

A police statement 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 [pavilion] was pushing, pulling and rushing forward and fell on the ground, leading to the stampede.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as “saddening”.

“Condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families,” Modi wrote on X.

⁠Modi’s office announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,106) for the next of kin of those who died and ‌50,000 rupees ($527) each for the injured.

Interior Minister Amit Shah said the “administration is ensuring that all possible medical facilities are being provided to the injured”.

About 3,500 Durga Puja pavilions have been set up across Kolkata for the festival. Following the stampede, authorities advised several of Kolkata’s most heavily attended venues to temporarily close to visitors.

Deadly crowd incidents happen frequently at Indian mass events, such as religious festivals, often due to poor management and safety lapses.

Last year, a stampede at India’s Kumbh Mela religious fair killed 30 people and injured several others. In Bengaluru, 11 fans were crushed to death during celebrations for the local cricket team’s first Indian Premier League title.

In southern Tamil Nadu state, 36 people were killed in a stampede at a campaign rally for a popular actor-turned-politician.

In 2024, 121 people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh state during a Hindu religious gathering.

警方称，事件发生在印度西孟加拉邦加尔各答的一个节日上，当时人潮拥挤且下着雨。

2026年10月17日星期六，在印度加尔各答，印度教杜尔迦女神节的礼拜场所发生踩踏事件后，警察在入口处设置路障，人们聚集在外面。[美联社照片]

据官员称，印度东部一场印度教宗教节日期间发生“踩踏事件”，造成至少19人死亡，25人受伤。

周六晚，西孟加拉邦首府加尔各答发生踩踏事件，当时正值印度教一年一度的杜尔迦女神节（Durga Puja）期间，天降大雨，人群在凉亭附近奔跑躲雨。

印度安得拉邦寺庙踩踏事件致至少9人死亡（共3起，此为第1起）

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列表 3/3：印度寺庙发生“踩踏事件”，至少 7 人死亡

据警方称，一些信徒摔倒在路上，遭到踩踏。

西孟加拉邦首席部长苏文杜·阿迪卡里前往加尔各答医学院附属医院视察伤者，他表示已有 19 人死亡，25 人正在接受治疗。

阿迪卡里告诉记者，死者中有一名七岁女孩。

他宣布将成立一个由该州高等法院法官领导的特别调查组，对这场灾难进行调查。

警方拘留了一些展馆组织者、私人保安人员和值班工作人员，并对任何人群控制和安全漏洞展开调查。

警方称，伤者是从杜尔迦女神节的临时祭坛（用于在节日期间供奉杜尔迦女神像的临时凉亭）被送往医院的，该节日吸引了成千上万的信徒。

警方声明称，踩踏事件发生在傍晚，原因是“下雨时分，大量游客涌入祭棚”。

现场一名高级警官告诉法新社，下雨后，一个广播引起了“骚动”，“等候在凉亭外的民众推搡、拉扯、向前冲去，摔倒在地，导致了踩踏事件”。

印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪称这一事件“令人悲痛”。

“向遇难者家属表示慰问。祝愿伤者早日康复。西孟加拉邦政府正在向受影响的家庭提供一切可能的帮助。”莫迪在X上写道。

莫迪办公室宣布，将向遇难者家属提供 20 万卢比（2106 美元）的赔偿，并向每位伤者提供 5 万卢比（527 美元）的赔偿。

内政部长阿米特·沙阿表示，“政府正在确保为伤者提供一切可能的医疗设施”。

为庆祝杜尔迦女神节，加尔各答各地搭建了约3500个祭祀亭。踩踏事件发生后，当局建议加尔各答几个最热门的场所暂时关闭。

在印度的大型活动中，例如宗教节日，经常发生致命的人群事件，这通常是由于管理不善和安全疏忽造成的。

去年，印度昆梅拉节宗教集市发生踩踏事件，造成30人死亡，多人受伤。在班加罗尔，当地板球队首次夺得印度超级联赛冠军的庆祝活动中，11名球迷被踩踏致死。

在泰米尔纳德邦南部，一位颇受欢迎的演员出身的政治家在竞选集会上发生踩踏事件，造成 36 人死亡。

2024年，北方邦北部的一次印度教宗教集会上，121人丧生。