New Delhi [India], August 17 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday expressed grief over the incident involving devotees at Ashok Dham in Bihar's Lakhisarai and condoled with the deaths reported in the tragedy.
In a post on X, Shah described the incident as "extremely tragic" and expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
"The incident that occurred with devotees at Ashok Dham in Lakhisarai, Bihar, is extremely tragic. I express my condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in this accident," Shah said.
He said that the local administration was providing all possible treatment to those injured in the incident.
"The local administration is providing all possible treatment to the injured. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," the Home Minister said.
The stampede occurred at Ashok Dham Temple in Lakhisarai on Monday morning as thousands of devotees gathered to offer prayers and perform Jalabhishek to Lord Shiva on the third Monday of the holy Sawan month.
At least seven devotees have been confirmed dead, while more than a dozen others were injured and shifted to hospitals for treatment.
The incident occurred when a queue of devotees on the occasion of the third Monday of Sawan extended up to Ashok Dham Halt, where two trains had stopped. An electric pole located near the queue of male devotees suddenly fell. A rumour then spread that a live wire had fallen on people, although it was a cable wire.
The rumour led to panic and created pressure on the women's queue on the other side, causing women to fall over one another. The incident happened suddenly within a span of around two minutes.
Meanwhile, police and district administration personnel had been deployed in the area since around 3 am. Emergency services, including ambulances, were also present near the site.
The injured were subsequently shifted to Sadar Hospital and other nearby medical facilities for treatment. Authorities are continuing to ascertain further details regarding the incident and the number of people injured.