Naina Devi stampede: Death toll reaches 146, yatra resumes

LIFE GOES ON: After the stampede at Naina Devi shrine on Sunday, darshan resumes on Monday morning.

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• FM tunes Budget for taxpayers, mkts face the music 

• Udayan's View: Budget 2009, a game of patience 

• A study in comparison: Education budget up Rs 7K cr 

• Reform hopes dashed, market watchers feel let down  

• I-T exemption limit raised | FBT rolled back | Taxes and you 

• Pranab skips two paras of Budget speech, apologises 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Common man gets a treat, over 15 schemes | For women 

• Income tax limits raised; farmers, exporters get sops 

• Health budget up by Rs 4,000 cr, 6 new AIIMS in cities 

• Budget: Pranab's chance to create his own legacy 

• Mayawati's statues face heat from Environment Ministry 

• Budget to focus on social spend, growth 

• Education reform will be for all Indians: Sibal 

• The Budget That Isn't: Cyrus gears up for Budget 

• EVMs are tamper proof, says Election Commission 

• Watch: Railway exams disrupted in Mysore, Banglaore 

• Watch: Maneka writes to PM over threat to Varun's life 

• One-upmanship: Sonia, Pawar in foodgrain politics 

• Actress pens play on gays who helped her find life 

• Pranab focuses on rural India, hikes I-T limit 

• Income tax limits raised; farmers, exporters get sops 

• I-T exemption limit raised 

• Fringe Benefit Tax rolled back 

• Tax structure to be simplified: Mukherjee 

• Buy that big car: SUVs, petrol trucks to cost less 

• MJ was dating his kids' nanny: photographer 

• Life saving drugs, LCDs cheaper; Set-top-box costlier 

• Minimum Rs 30 lakh needed to be called wealthy 

• Defence budget unchanged; Army gets lion's share 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

New Delhi: An inconsolable Beli Ram mourns the death of both his daughters, who were among the scores killed in the stampede at the Naina Devi shrine in Bilaspur on Sunday.

In the worst-ever temple tragedy in Himachal Pradesh, 146 devotees, including 30 children, were killed and more than 50 injured in a stampede at the temple triggered by rumours of a landslide.

Thousands of pilgrims had come there to seek the blessings of the deity during the Shravan Navaratra festival which began on Saturday.

Suddenly, there was a false cry of landslide, which created panic along the crowded slope of the temple.

“We were standing near the railing, we tried to move but police did not allow us to. The railing collapsed and people fell on each other,” says an eyewitness.

The state government immediately announced Rs1 lakh compensation for the families of the dead, Rs50,000 for the critically injured and Rs25,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.

“We have asked Divison Commissioner to prepare a report and submit it as soon as possible. We will find out the cause of the accident and submit recommendations to prevent such incidents,” says Himachal Chief Minister.

A few minutes after the stampede, the road leading to the temple presented a horrific scene as motionless bodies of children, women and men, some of them clutching offerings they had brought for the deity, lay along the narrow road.

As rains continued, relief workers comprising of temple staff and residents of the area found it difficult to help the injured and carry them to neatest medical aid centre. However, the injured were taken to hospitals at Anandpur and Ropar in neighbouring Punjab.

The yatra was suspended after the accident but resumed on Monday morning.