At least six people died and several were injured in an incident police suspect was triggered by a falling electricity pole that alarmed a crowd of worshippers at a temple in India’s eastern state of Bihar, officials said on Monday.
Authorities were checking the cause of the incident among devotees observing a Hindu holy month at the Ashok Dham temple in the district of Lakhisarai.
“It is being said that an electric pole fell there and people were electrocuted, which led to a stampede-like situation,” Shivam Kumar, a senior police officer, told news agency ANI. “We can tell you the exact reason only after verifying everything.”
At least five people were injured in the incident, a senior official told Reuters.Television showed images of relatives thronging hospitals as rescuers brought in people on stretchers.
India’s history of crowd accidents includes 30 deaths at the giant Maha Kumbh festival last year, when tens of millions gathered to bathe in sacred waters.