BARABANKI, July 28: Two people were killed and 32 injured as a stampede broke out at a temple here early on Monday after a live electric wire, broken by monkeys, fell onto a tin shed, leading to panic among devotees.
Police said that the casualties were caused due to electrocution. The incident occurred at the Avsaneshwar temple in the Haidergarh area during the holy month of Shravan on Monday when devotees had gathered at the temple for ‘jalabhishek’ (offering water as a ritual). The electric current spread through the tin shed as the wire fell, triggering panic and a stampede in the temple premises.
Prashant (22) and another 30-year-old devotee succumbed to their injuries. This comes a day after eight people were killed in a stampede that broke out during a rush of pilgrims along a stair route leading to the Mansa Devi temple on a hilltop in Haridwar. Rumours of an electric current where the stairs begin triggered panic among people, leading to the stampede, according to the police. (PTI)