Two people were killed and 32 injured in a stampede at a temple here after a live electric wire, broken by monkeys, fell onto a tin shed early on Monday, officials said.
The incident occurred at the Avsaneshwar temple in the Haidergarh area during the holy month of Shravan, when devotees had gathered for 'jalabhishek'. The electric current spread through the tin shed as the wire fell, triggering panic and a stampede, reported PTI.
Prashant (22) from the Mubarakpura village and another 30-year-old devotee succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the Trivediganj Community Health Centre (CHC), officials said.
A total of 10 injured persons were brought to the Trivediganj CHC, with five referred to higher medical centres. Meanwhile, 26 injured devotees are being treated at the Haidergarh CHC.
Barabanki District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi said that during the 'jalabhishek' ritual, monkeys had damaged an electric wire, which caused current to flow through three tin sheds in the temple complex.
According to PTI, the resulting panic led to a stampede in which two people lost their lives and more than two dozen were injured, he added. Following the incident, there was chaos in the temple and surrounding areas, though devotees later resumed their worship.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed "deep sorrow" over the loss of lives and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. "He has directed the district administration officials to expedite the proper treatment of the injured and relief operations," Adityanath's office posted on X in Hindi. "He has prayed to Lord Mahadev, the supreme deity, to grant salvation to the departed souls and a speedy recovery to the injured."
This tragedy comes just a day after another deadly stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar on Sunday morning, where eight devotees died and 30 others were injured.
In that incident, panic broke out due to a rumour that an electric current was running through a section of the stairway leading to the hilltop shrine.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m., when the temple was crowded with pilgrims for rituals associated with the ongoing Shravan month.
