Puri, 29 June

At least three persons were killed and around 50 others injured in a stampede that took place near Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday morning, a senior official said.

The incident took place around 4 am when hundreds of devotees gathered near the temple to witness Rath Yatra festivities, Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain said.

Chaos ensued after two trucks carrying materials for rituals reportedly entered the crowded spot near the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities, officials said.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital, and the condition of six people is critical, he said.

The deceased were identified as Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das from Balipatna.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem and an investigation is underway.

DGP YB Khurania and senior government officials are at the spot to take stock of the situation.

Meanwhile, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said he has apprised Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi about the incident.

“We will take all the necessary action,” Harichandan said.

The chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra had on Saturday reached Shree Gundicha Temple, a day after the Rath Yatra began in Puri.

The temple is considered the aunt's place of the deities, which go there every year from the 12th-century Jagannath temple, situated at a distance of 2.6 km, as part of the rituals.

The return car journey, known as 'Bahuda Yatra', will held this year on 5 July.