CROWD CRUSH KILLS PEOPLE AT KOLKATA HINDU FESTIVAL

A crowd crush at a Durga Puja gathering in Kolkata, India, killed people on the afternoon of 17 October. The reported minimum death toll ranges from 17 to 19, with a child among those killed. Suvendu Adhikari told the media that 25 other people were injured near the festival venue in West Bengal. The gathering was part of a Hindu festival that draws large crowds of devotees in the state.

Heavy rain fell during the gathering, and the crowd surged before the crush. Authorities suspect the sudden rainfall triggered the surge, while police are investigating the exact circumstances. The accounts place the crush near the festival venue, where people had gathered for Durga Puja. Durga Puja is West Bengal’s largest Hindu festival and centres on worship of the goddess Durga.

Devotees visit pandals during the festival, gathering around temporary structures that house idols of Durga. Large numbers of people attend those sites during the celebrations across West Bengal. Police are examining what happened at the gathering on 17 October as they investigate the crush. Authorities have identified rainfall as a suspected trigger, but the investigation has yet to establish the precise sequence of events.