New Delhi:
One person died, and several others were injured after a crowd surge at the iconic Rath Yatra celebrations in Odisha’s Puri on Thursday.
During the proceedings, seven people felt uneasy and were promptly taken to a hospital. A 60-year-old man died during treatment. The exact cause of death is being determined.
Thousands gathered at Puri today to witness the centuries-old Rath Yatra festival. The Yatra, held every year, is the only occasion when the three siblings – Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra — are taken out of the 12th-century shrine.
The surge occurred amid heavy crowds on the Grand Road, known locally as Bada Danda, the route along which the massive chariots are pulled to the Gundicha Temple.
“During the course of the festival, seven persons felt unwell and were immediately evacuated by the deployed personnel and shifted to the hospital without delay. Among them, one male devotee aged above 60 years unfortunately succumbed, and the exact cause of death is being ascertained by the concerned authorities,” the Odisha Chief Minister’s office said in a statement.
“Separately, in an unrelated incident, a male devotee aged above 35 years suffered a cardiac arrest and, despite immediate medical intervention, unfortunately passed away. Also, many devotees became unwell due to incessant rain-induced illness, who were given medical treatment at the hospital and were discharged after proper medical treatment,” the statement continued.
Inspector General of Fire Services Umashankar Dash said emergency teams had assisted nearly 100 people who were struggling in the crush.
“So far, we have rescued almost 100 people who felt suffocated in the crowd. We have taken them to temporary hospitals and ambulances. That has given relief to devotees,” Dash said as quoted by news agency PTI.
Naveen Patnaik, president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and former chief minister of Odisha, expressed sorrow over the deaths.
ରଥଯାତ୍ରା ସମୟରେ ବଡ଼ଦାଣ୍ଡର ଭିଡ଼ରେ ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧାଳୁଙ୍କ ପ୍ରାଣହାନୀ ହୋଇଥିବା ଖବର ପାଇ ମୁଁ ଅତ୍ୟନ୍ତ ଦୁଃଖିତ। ପ୍ରାଣ ହରାଇଥିବା ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧାଳୁଙ୍କ ଅମର ଆତ୍ମାର ସଦଗତି ସହ ଆହତ ହୋଇଥିବା ଶତାଧିକ ଭକ୍ତଙ୍କ ଆଶୁଆରୋଗ୍ୟ କାମନା କରୁଛି। ଏପରି ଦୁଃଖଦ ସମୟରେ ସଭିଙ୍କ ସହାୟତା ପାଇଁ ବିଜୁ ଜନତା ଦଳର ସମସ୍ତ କର୍ମୀ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ସହଯୋଗ ଯୋଗାଇ ଦେବେ। ମୁଁ…
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) July 16, 2026
“I pray for the eternal peace of the souls of the devotees who have lost their lives and for the swift recovery of the more than a hundred injured devotees,” Patnaik wrote.
Last year, three people were killed and several others injured in a stampede near the Gundicha Temple during the same festival.
