4 dead, 27 injured in Bengal temple stampede after wall collapse; CM announces ex gratia

At least four people were killed and 27 others injured in a stampede after a wall of a temple, where people had gathered to celebrate Janmashtami, collapsed in Kachua in West Bengal’s district of North 24 Pargana early on Friday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for the critically injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

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Mamata also visited the National Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where some of the injured have been shifted.

The Loknath temple in Kachua was built a long time ago. A portion of its wall caved in following heavy rain as a large crowd of pilgrims was waiting to offer their prayers.

“There was a large crowd at Kachua Loknath temple this year. It started raining heavily in the wee hours and people tried to take shelter at makeshift bamboo stalls on the approach road to the temple. The bamboo structures collapsed after heavy rain. The place was narrow and in the rush, a few persons fell into the pond beside the temple and this created a confusion leading to a stampede-like situation there,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by India Today.