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Stampede Incident Overview

Puri, June 29: A tragic stampede occurred near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha's Puri on Sunday morning, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuring approximately 50 others.

The victims have been identified as Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh, along with Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das from Balipatna.

Those injured have been taken to a local hospital, where six individuals are reported to be in critical condition, according to Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain.

The chaos erupted around 4 am as large crowds of devotees gathered for the Rath Yatra celebrations, Swain noted.

The situation escalated when two trucks delivering materials for the rituals entered the densely packed area near the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, as reported by officials.

DGP Y B Khurania and other senior officials are currently on-site to assess the situation.

Odisha's Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan has informed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi about the incident, stating, "We will take all the necessary action."

The chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra had arrived at Shree Gundicha Temple on Saturday, following the commencement of the Rath Yatra in Puri.

This temple is traditionally viewed as the aunt's residence of the deities, who travel there annually from the 12th-century Jagannath temple, located 2.6 km away, as part of the rituals.

The return journey, known as the 'Bahuda Yatra', is scheduled for July 5 this year.