pre-dawn stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri on Sunday during the annual Rath Yatra festival, officials said.
The stampede occurred around 4 a.m. when hundreds of devotees had gathered near the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra. According to Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain, the chaos broke out after two trucks carrying ritual materials reportedly made their way into the congested area, triggering panic in the tightly packed crowd.
“All the injured have been rushed to the district hospital. Six of them are in a critical condition,” Swain said, confirming the fatalities and ongoing medical response.
The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu of Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das, both from Balipatna. Their bodies were sent for post-mortem, and authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crowd surge.
Director General of Police Y B Khurania, along with senior officials, reached the site shortly after the incident to monitor the situation and assess safety protocols. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said he had informed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi about the tragedy.
“We are treating this with utmost seriousness,” Harichandan said. “All necessary action will be taken.”
The stampede took place a day after the three grand chariots had successfully reached the Shree Gundicha Temple as part of the Yatra procession, which began from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple — 2.6 km away — on Saturday. The Gundicha Temple is believed to be the maternal aunt’s residence of the deities and serves as a symbolic destination during the annual pilgrimage.
The return journey of the chariots, known as Bahuda Yatra, is scheduled for July 5 this year.
As devotees reeled from the shock, the temple town’s festive air gave way to mourning and questions about crowd control. Security arrangements and logistical plans are expected to come under review in the days ahead.
