Stampede at Rath Yatra: 1 dies, many suffocate

Puri, Agencies: One devotee died and five others were injured, one seriously, in a stampede during the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri on Sunday.

The incident occurred as there was a mad rush among devotees to pull the chariot of Taladhwaj of Lord Balabhadra. Sources reported that the stampede took place near Hindi School, where a 60-year-old man fell unconscious and later died.

Five other devotees injured in the stampede. In addition, over 300 devotees were admitted to the hospital due to dehydration and suffocation due to the high humid conditions of the three-kilometre-long Badadanda.