Unfortunate incident! 12 dead, 14 injured in a stampede in Vaishno Devi shrine
The shrine at Katra, about 45km from Jammu, is open for devotees round the clock. The yatra was suspended following the stampede. Senior officials and shrine board representatives are on the spot.
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Jammu, January 01: In a very unfortunate incident, 12 devotees died and nearly 20 others were injured in a stampede that occurred at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the Reasi district of J&K on Saturday early morning.
Officials reported on Saturday that the accident was caused by a massive surge of devotees who came to the temple to pay their respects to mark the beginning of the New Year. The stampede occurred outside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine atop Trikuta hills.
The shrine at Katra, about 45km from Jammu, is open for devotees round the clock. The yatra was suspended following the stampede. Senior officials and shrine board representatives are on the spot.
#UPDATE: 12 dead, 13 injured in the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra. The incident occurred around 2:45 am, and as per initial reports, an argument broke out which resulted in people pushing each other, followed by stampede: J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh to ANI
— ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2022
(file photo) pic.twitter.com/EjiffBTMaJ
Expressing grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those killed in the incident. Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha also took to Twitter and said a high-level inquiry has been ordered in the incident. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the next of kin of those who lost their lives.
Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to JK LG Shri @manojsinha_ Ji, Ministers Shri @DrJitendraSingh Ji, @nityanandraibjp Ji and took stock of the situation.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 1, 2022
Union home minister Amit Shah said he was "deeply pained" by the stampede and had spoken with Sinha regarding the incident. "The administration is working continuously to provide treatment to the injured. I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident," Shah said.
"The tragedy due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Bhawan is heart-wrenching. Anguished by the loss of lives due to it. My condolences to the bereaved families in this sad hour. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured," Union defence minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.
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