Puri Rath Yatra Stampede Kills 3, Injures Dozens Near Gundicha Temple

Puri Rath Yatra Stampede: At least 3 killed, over 50 injured in stampede outside Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, early Sunday morning. Hundreds of thousands of devotees have gathered in Puri for the annual Rath Yatra festival.

The incident occurred around 4-4:20 am on Saradhabali when a vehicle carrying ritual materials entered the crowd. There were no police or officials on the spot to manage the huge number of pilgrims.

Two trucks carrying materials for rituals entered the crowded spot near the chariots, sources said.

The deceased are Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das from Balipatna.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the three devotees who have lost their lives in the tragic stampede at Saradhabali, #Puri, and I pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannatha for the swift recovery of the devotees injured in this devastating incident,” Patnaik said in a post on X.

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“Today’s stampede, occurring just a day after the abysmal failure of crowd management during the #RathYatra that left hundreds injured, exposes the government’s glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival for devotees,” the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha assembly said.

The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital, and 6 are critical.

The chariots of sibling deities—Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath—reached Gundicha temple on Saturday evening, a day after the Rath Yatra began from Jagannath temple.

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The chariots were supposed to reach the Gundicha temple by evening on Friday. But they had to be stopped on Grand Road as Lord Balabhadra’s Taladwaja chariot got stuck while negotiating a turn, and the other two couldn’t move.

“Eyewitnesses report that the initial response to this horrific tragedy came from the devotees’ relatives, with no government machinery present to manage the surging crowds, highlighting a shocking lapse in duty,” Patnaik alleged.

Chaos ensued when two trucks carrying materials for rituals entered the crowded spot near Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities’ chariots, officials said.

“While I refrain from accusing the government of criminal negligence, their blatant callousness has undeniably contributed to this tragedy. I urge the government to implement urgent corrective measures to ensure the smooth conduct of Adapa Bije, Bahuda, Suna Besha, and other key #RathYatra rituals,” Patnaik, a five-term chief minister, added.

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