The incident occurred as the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra were brought out of the Jagannath Temple for the ceremonial procession to the Gundicha Temple.
As lakhs of devotees thronged the Grand Road, overcrowding reportedly led to panic and a stampede. Several pilgrims experienced breathing difficulties, and one devotee reportedly collapsed due to suffocation.
The person was immediately shifted to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), where doctors declared the devotee dead. However, officials had not officially confirmed the fatality at the time of reporting.
Special Rescue Unit (SRU) teams quickly launched evacuation operations, rescuing injured devotees trapped in the crowd.
More than 200 injured pilgrims were taken to Puri Medical College and Hospital and other nearby healthcare facilities for treatment.
Following the incident, the local administration strengthened security arrangements and deployed additional police personnel, crowd management teams, and emergency medical units along the Rath Yatra route.
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