Woman killed, several injured in Odisha stampede

A 45-year-old woman was killed and 20 people were injured in a stampede that broke out after over two lakh devotees thronged a bridge over the Mahanadi river on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Saturday afternoon, police said.

The stampede on Gopinathpur-Badamba T Bridge in Athagarh area when the crowd gathered for Makar Mela. The 3.4km long bridge also connects Singhanath shrine located in the middle of the river.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of ₹ 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased.

Athagarh sub collector Hemanta Swain said the injured were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment. The deceased was identified as Anjana Swain.

Cuttack additional superintendent of police (ASP) Ranjit Prusty said the total number of devotees gathered at the spot exceeded at least four times from what the administration expected.

“More than two lakh people had turned up at the shrine,” Prusty said.

Officials said the Mela was not held for two years in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Relatives of the injured undergoing treatment at SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack held the police administration responsible for the tragedy.

“Just about 75-80 policemen were at the spot which was grossly inadequate to handle the huge crowd. The cops were at their wit’s end and many simply ran away seeing the stampede,” a relative of an injured person said, seeking anonymity.