Seven killed and more than a dozen injured during Ashok Dham Temple stampede in India

Seven people have been killed and more than a dozen injured after a stampede broke out at a temple in India.

Thousands of devotees had gathered to pray near Ashok Dham Temple in eastern India's Bihar state on Monday.

An electric wire snapped outside the temple premises in Lakhisarai district around 6.30am and the crowd rushed to escape potential electrocution, preliminary reports suggest.

Barricades then collapsed under the weight of the crowd, leading to a crush as people began to fall over each other, an official told Indian media.

More than a dozen people were taken to a government hospital for treatment.

Fatal hotel blaze

It came just hours after a fire broke out at a hotel in the town of Tarapith, West Bengal, killing seven and leaving several others critically injured.

The fire started at around 4.30am on the ground floor of a four-story hotel in which many of the guests were pilgrims, the Press Trust of India reported. Most guests were asleep at the time.

Hotel management said the blaze may have started after an electrical component in the building's power supply system caught fire near the reception area.

The injured were taken to hospital and treated for burn injuries, smoke inhalation, and asphyxiation.

Mass religious gatherings

The incidents occurred on the third Monday of Shravan, one of the holiest months in the Hindu calendar.

Devotees worship the Hindu god Lord Shiva by fasting, praying, and taking part in colourful monsoon festivals across India.

Large crowds, sometimes in the millions, regularly gather during religious festivals in India in areas with few safety or crowd control measures in place.

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In January 2025, at least 30 people were killed as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival.

In 2013, pilgrims at a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh panicked, fearing that a bridge might collapse. Approximately 115 people were then crushed to death or drowned in the river.

(c) Sky News 2026: Seven killed and more than a dozen injured during Ashok Dham Temple stampede in India