Two devotees injured in stampede-like situation in Puri Jagannath temple

At least two devotees fell unconscious and were rushed to hospital after they were trapped in a stampede-like situation inside Shree Jagannath Temple here on Sunday, police said.

The two, a woman from Hatagadia Sahi in Puri district and a minor girl from Pithapur area in Cuttack district, were admitted to the district headquarters hospital here. The conditions of both the devotees was stable, hospital sources said.

The incident took place as a large number of people congregated near the Lion's Gate before it was opened for devotees. The opening of the temple door was a little bit delayed on Sunday morning as the Makar Sankranti rituals took a lot of time on the previous night, a temple official said.

The two devotees fell down when the crowd inside the temple rushed to witness the Lord's 'Mangala Arti' (day's first arti) as soon as the Lion's Gate opened.

Meanwhile, Puri District Collector Samarth Verma visited the temple and enquired about the health condition of the injured devotees in the district headquarters hospital.

The incident came a day after a woman was killed and eight others seriously injured in a stampede as a large number of people congregated on Badamba-Gopinathpur T-Setu bridge in Cuttack district on the occasion of Makar Mela.