Four of six killed in Haridwar tragedy from UP; assistance for kin of deceased announced

Lucknow, Jul 27 (PTI) Four of the six killed in Haridwar's Mansa Devi temple stampede on Sunday belonged to Uttar Pradesh, an official statement said here.

A stampede broke out at the hilltop temple in Uttarakhand in the morning after rumours spread that an electric current was live at the staircase leading to the temple begin sent people into panic, ultimately killing at least six people and leaving many injured, according to Uttarakhand Police.

Among the four killed from the state, two have been identified as Aarush (12) of Bareilly and Vicky (18) from Rampur. Two others, whose ages have not been confirmed yet, included Vakil of Barabanki and Shanti from Budaun, it said.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolences to the victims' families.

Adityanath, in his message on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate accident on the Sri Mansa Devi Temple road in Haridwar, Uttarakhand is extremely sad and heartbreaking." "My condolences are with the bereaved families. I pray to Maa Mansa Devi to grant salvation to the departed souls, strength to the bereaved families to bear this immense sorrow and speedy recovery to the injured. Om Shanti!," he said.

In another post, Chief Minister Adityanath expressed grief over the accident and said that "Instructions have been given to the officials to coordinate with the Uttarakhand government and hand over the bodies of the residents of Uttar Pradesh who died in the accident to their home districts." "The UP government will provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of each deceased from Uttar Pradesh in this accident," he added.

After the tragedy, that took place at about 9 am, about 35 people were rushed to the hospital, and six of them died.

Being a Sunday, a large crowd of devotees had gathered at the temple atop the Shivalik Hills at a height of over 500 feet.

Videos from the spot showed a massive rush of people, including children and women, making their way to the temple. Outside the hospital, worried family members waited for news of their loved ones.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a magisterial probe has been ordered. PTI ABN AMJ AMJ AMJ