A tragic incident has struck the festive celebrations in Kolkata after a sudden heavy crowd surge led to a deadly stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in the city. According to official updates, at least 17 people have lost their lives, while 24 others have suffered injuries in the tragic mishap.
The accident occurred on Saturday evening when sudden heavy rainfall forced thousands of pandal-hoppers waiting outside to rush towards the entry and exit gates at the same time for shelter. The overwhelming crowd pressure caused severe congestion, leading many visitors to trip, faint, and get crushed in a severe stampede like situation. Emergency teams, fire brigade personnel, and police forces rushed to the site immediately, shutting down the pandal and transporting all injured victims to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital for urgent medical care.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sadness over the tragedy, calling the incident extremely distressing. PM Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased person, and ₹50,000 for each of the injured victims. Senior administrative officials and police personnel are actively monitoring the situation, and specialized medical teams have been deployed to ensure immediate treatment for all hospitalised victims.
