6 killed, 27 injured in stampede as boundary wall collapses at North 24 Pargana's Loknath Temple

At least 6 people were killed and 27 others injured in a stampede at the Loknath Temple in Kachua area of West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Thursday. The mishap took place in late Thursday night when a boundary wall collapsed on devotees who thronged the temple on the occasion of Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.

Sources said, incessant rainfall for the last few days has led to the sudden collapse of the wall. The incident triggered panic and anxiety in the region as devotees struggled to escape the stampede owing to a water body on one side of the temple and the collapsed boundary wall on the other.

#UPDATE West Bengal: 6 dead after a wall of a temple, where people were gathering to celebrate #Janmastami, collapsed in Kachua, North 24 Pargana, earlier today. https://t.co/i7J9WOCyEr

— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2019

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Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has paid a visit to the injured, who were rushed to the Calcutta National Medical College. The Trinamool Congress chief has also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh each for those critically injured and Rs 50,000 for others who sustained minor injuries.

Janmashtami, also known as Gokulashtami, is being observed around the world to celebrate the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. Devotees in large numbers gather at various temples and offer prayers to their beloved deity Lord Krishna. This year it falls on Saturday, i.e. August 24, 2019.