80 feared dead, over 100 injured at Naina Devi temple stampede in Himachal

Shimla, Aug 3 (ANI): At least 80 people were killed and over 100 were injured, when a stampede occurred at the famous Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur District of Himachal Pradesh.

The incident took place around 10:00 a.m. after a railing broke on the crowd of devotees converged near the temple premises.

Located on a hill, the Nainadevi temple is visited by thousands of people every month.

The sudden fall of the railing led to many of the devotees falling into the adjoining gorge. This caused panic among the devotees and they started running for life and this led to many of them falling at each other causing injuries to others.

The death toll is expected to rise further as thousands of devoteed had gathered at the Naina Devi temple, located about 160 km from the state capital, on the auspicious occasion of the 10-day Sharavan Ashtami fair that began on Saturday.

The injured have been rushed to the various hospitals. More details are awaited. (ANI)