At least eight people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed and 30 others injured in a stampede on a narrow stairway leading to a temple in Haridwar on Sunday morning, officials aware of the matter said. Footwear lay scattered at the spot following a stampede at the Mansa Devi temple, in Haridwar on Sunday. 8 people died and other 30 were left injured. (ANI Video Grab)

According to officials, the incident took place at around 9am after a rumour spread that a high-voltage live wire had fallen on the passage leading to the Mansa Devi temple, one of Uttarakhand’s busiest pilgrimage sites, triggering panic among a large crowd of devotees.

“Six people have been confirmed dead. According to eyewitnesses, someone spread a rumour that a live wire had fallen on the path to the temple, which triggered panic among the devotees,” Haridwar district magistrate Mayur Dixit said earlier in the day. Officials later in the day said that two more people died.

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Thirteen of the injured were referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, state disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said.

The deceased were identified as UP residents Arush (12), Vishal (19), Ram Bharose (65), Vicky Saini(18), Vakil Shanti Devi; Shakal Dev (18) from Bihar; Vipin Saini (18), a resident of Uttarakhand. The full names and ages of some of the victims were not immediately available.

Video clips from the stampede spot showed a large crowd pressed against each other in the choked 1.5 km stretch leading to the temple, which is located atop the Shivalik Hills at the height of 500 feet. Witnesses said there was hardly any room to move on the path, and people started pushing against one another after the rumour of a high-voltage wire falling on the passage spread.

“There is very little space on this route…it’s used both for going up to the temple and coming down. There was a lot of pushing and shoving. No electric current was involved. It was just a rumour. People started jumping over each other, and some even leapt off to the other side of the wall,” Bunty (who goes by one name), an eyewitness, said.Panic quickly spread among the devotees, leading to chaos and confusion, witnesses recounted. “I somehow managed to survive. Five of our family members got separated. We’ve found three, but we’re still searching for the other two,” Santosh Kumar, a resident of Bihar, said.

Dixit said several electric wires were found broken at the site, indicating that some people may have attempted to climb up using them for support.

The Mansa Devi Temple is a revered Hindu shrine dedicated to Goddess Mansa. It is situated around 3km from Har-Ki-Pauri and can be reached either by trekking the uphill path or through a ropeway. Local residents said that there was a surge in the crowd on account of it being a weekend.

“Mansa Devi is the biggest centre of attraction for devotees in Haridwar after Har Ki Pauri. Thousands of devotees come here every day. The crowd swells during the month of Sawan as a rule. Being a Sunday, the possibility of a larger crowd was very much there,” said Ajay Jaiswal, a local resident.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a magisterial probe has been ordered in the incident. “We have ordered a magisterial probe into the incident, and those responsible for spreading the rumour will face strict action,” Dhami said. He announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 each for the injured.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the stampede. “Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected,” he said in a post on X. Uttarakhand Congress slammed the state government over the incident, terming it as an “administrative failure” and seeking a judicial inquiry. “ “This incident is not only a human tragedy but also stark evidence of administrative failure. The administration had made no concrete plans to handle the crowd,” said state Congress president Karan Mahara. The BJP rejected the charge and urged the Opposition to not make baseless accusations.

“The incident is under investigation, and strict action will be taken against those found responsible. Making political accusations without verified facts is not appropriate,” “BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt said.