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2nd LD Writethru: 11 killed, 50 injured in stampede in Hindu temple in eastern India

Xinhua, August 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least 11 people were killed and 50 more injured in a stampede at a goddess Durga temple in Belabagan area of eastern Indian state Jharkhand's Deoghar district early Monday morning, said local media.

The Asian News International said tens of thousands of Hindu devotees arrived at the town in the holy Hindu month of Savan to offer prayers and holy water to Hindu god Shiva in the Baidyanath Dham temple there, when the deadly stampede took place. Some devotees tried to jump queue as they thronged to the idol, while the police could not control the huge waves of crowd, according to media reports.

More than 100,000 people were in a queue, many waiting since Sunday night to get into the famous Baidyanath Temple, some 300 km from the state capital Ranchi.

During Savan month of the Hindu calendar, more than 300,000 people offer prayers at the Baidyanath Temple.

On Mondays, the number goes up substantially and around 200,000 people offer prayers.

All the injured have been admitted to Sadar hospital in Deoghar for treatment, the Indo-Asian News Service quoted Deogarh Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Kumar as saying.

The police officer said the stampede was a result of "large crowd gathering."

Stampede takes place frequently during Hindu festivals in temples as people assemble to offer prayers to Hindu gods. Endi