Click to play videoPanchmahal (Gujarat): A narrow bridge and the festival rush of devotees. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Eleven people are dead after a stampede broke out at the Pawagarh Mahakali Temple in Gujarat's Panchmahal District on Sunday. Lakhs of devotees had come to the temple, as it is the Navratri season.
"Initial investigations say that this happened after one of the devotees dropped his belongings. Because of the festive rush, over five lakh people were at Pawagarh,” said SP, Panchmahal, Dipankar Trivedi.
The incident happened on a narrow bridge called Patiya Pool.
"The road and the bridge are very narrow. And that's why such incidents happen here,” said an eyewitness.
But the state government blames the Centre for lack of infrastructure.
“We need to broaden that road. But the land belongs to the forest department. We have been requesting the central government for long,” said CM Narendra Modi.
Seventeen people were injured in the stampede. Three of them are said to be in a critical condition.
The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the stampede. An ex-gratia of Rs one lakh has also been announced for the families of those killed in the mishap.
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