At least six people were killed and 29 others injured Sunday in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, police said.
The stampede broke out at Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar district, about 53 km south of Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand, Xinhua reported.
It seems that a rumor about an electric shock affecting a devotee on the stairs, 100 meters down the temple route, panicked others, leading to a stampede at the spot, Pramendra Singh Dobal, a senior police official, said.
“We are investigating the matter,” he said.
Authorities rushed police and the State Disaster Response Force to the spot to carry out relief and rescue operations.
Haridwar is one of the major pilgrimage destinations for Hindu devotees. Police said a huge crowd had gathered at the temple before the stampede.
Television visuals showed injured devotees being taken to the hospital in ambulances and several others undergoing treatment inside the health facility.
Police fear the death toll is likely to increase.
