NEW DELHI, Jan 14: At least two persons are feared killed and 10 others – including women and children – were seriously injured in a stampede on the Gopinathpur-Badamba T-bridge over River Mahanadi in Athagarh in Cuttack district in Odisha on the occasion of the Makar Sankranti fair on Saturday, police said.
Officials said more than two lakh devotees had converged over the 3.4 km long bridge, the longest in Odisha. The devotees were rushing forward to have a glimpse of Lord Singhanath in the temple situated in an island of Mahanadi when the incident was reported.
“There were more than 2 lakh people on the bridge when the stampede broke out. The crowd was more than what we expected. The situation spiralled out of control before anyone could realise anything,” said Hemant Kumar Swain, sub collector of Athagarh. The injured have been rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in the Cuttack town. The death toll may rise as some children have been seriously injured.
Badamba-Narsinghpur MLA and former minister Debi Prasad Mishra confirmed that one woman, identified as 45-year-old Anjana Swain, died in the incident, while four seriously injured. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of ₹ 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased.
“The injured people will get free treatment and I wish their speedy recovery,” Patnaik said in a statement. Swain said the incident took place due to a sudden increase in the number of devotees, including women and children, in the afternoon to visit the fair and also to pay obeisance to Lord Singhanath.
The district administration said the congregation was massive as people were visiting the temple after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 pandemic. Devotees from Cuttack, Khordha, Puri, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh and Nayagarh districts had come to the temple in large numbers, the sub-collector said.
(Manas Dasgupta)