Key points
- Incident occurred on stairway to Mansa Devi temple
- Over ten others injured, admitted to hospital
- Deadly crowd crushes common at Indian religious festivals
ISLAMABAD: At least six people were crushed to death at a popular Hindu temple in northern India’s Uttarakhand state on Sunday, officials said, after a massive crowd surge.
The stampede occurred on the stairway leading to the Mansa Devi temple in the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges River, and left many injured, reports AFP.
हरिद्वार स्थित मनसा देवी मंदिर मार्ग में भगदड़ मचने का अत्यंत दुःखद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ है। @uksdrf, स्थानीय पुलिस तथा अन्य बचाव दल मौके पर पहुंचकर राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों में जुटे हुए हैं।
इस संबंध में निरंतर स्थानीय प्रशासन के संपर्क में हूं और स्थिति पर लगातार निगरानी रखी जा रही…
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) July 27, 2025
“Six dead and more than 10 injured are admitted to the hospital,” senior city police official Parmendra Dobhal told the media.
Uttarkhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said relief and rescue operations were underway.
Continuous monitoring
“I am constantly in touch with the local administration regarding this matter, and continuous monitoring of the situation is being done,” he said in a statement.
Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence at Indian religious festivals.
In June, a sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in the coastal state of Odisha triggered a stampede that killed at least three people and injured several others.
The previous month, six people were crushed to death in the western state of Goa after thousands gathered for a popular fire-walking ritual.
And in January, at least 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.
Haridwar is an ancient city and considered a holy place, lying where the River Ganges exits the Himalayan foothills, according to DW.
