Festival stampede kills three near Indian temple

Bhubaneswar, India: A sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in India s coastal state of Odisha on Sunday triggered a stampede that killed at least th...

Bhubaneswar, India: A sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in India's coastal state of Odisha on Sunday triggered a stampede that killed at least three people and injured several others, local government officials said.

Thousands of devotees had gathered near Gundicha temple in the city of Puri for celebrations of an annual Hindu chariot festival.

"There was a sudden surge in the crowd. Nine devotees experienced breathlessness and were taken to hospital. While three died, the others are in stable condition," Siddharth Swain, a district administrative official, told reporters.

Local media reported that several other festivalgoers were injured, but the officials could not immediately confirm.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the "tragic incident" occurred due to the "overwhelming rush of devotees".