Six people, all women, died during a stampede at Ganga Sagar fair near Sunderbans in West Bengal during Kumbh on Makar Sankrati. The incident took place around 5 pm on Sunday when pilgrims were in a hurry to catch the vessels packed with around 500 people from an island to come to the mainland.
“All were in a hurry and they fell over each other. Three died on the spot while three others succumbed to their injuries on the way to a local hospital,” said a senior police officer of the South 24 parganas.
About 20 lakh people gathered at the Sagar island in Sunderbans on Makar Sankrati. Lakhs of pilgrims took the holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.
Panchyat and rural development officer Subrata Mukherjee, who had already been at the place to supervise the fair, told THE WEEK, “Nothing happened at the fair ground. People were in hurry to come over from the island. Most of them died due to suffocation.”
"The mishap occurred as the pilgrims got imapatient due to the long queue at jetty number five in Kachuberi and tried to outdo others in boarding the vessel," Manturam Pakhira, state Sundarbans development minister, told a news agency.
The state government has declared Rs 5 lakh compensation for each of the victim.
