Six killed, more than 70 injured in stampede at temple festival in Goa; CM orders inquiry

The incident occurred at Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village in the wee hours of the day, a senior police officer said.

Panaji: At least six persons, including two women, were killed, and more than 70 sustained injuries after a stampede broke out during a temple festival at a village in North Goa in the wee hours of Saturday, officials said. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has announced an inquiry into the incident that occurred around 3 am at Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village, about 40 km from Panaji. According to the police, the stampede broke out as thousands of devotees thronged the narrow lanes to the temple for the annual festival.

Director General of Police Alok Kumar said six people were killed while several others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals of the state. "At least 30,000 to 40,000 people had gathered for the festival, and some were standing on a slope. A few persons fell on the slope, causing others to tumble on each other," the official said. He said 40 to 50 people fell on the slope, and the stampede was confined to that spot. Thousands of devotees from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka attend the annual festival at the temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the tragedy.

In a post on X, he wrote, "May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected." Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the injured at the North Goa district hospital and the stampede site. Talking to reporters at the site, Sawant said, "I have asked for a detailed inquiry into the incident. We will make the report public." He said precautions would be taken for all temple festivals in the state to prevent such incidents. State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said approximately 80 people sustained injuries, with 13 currently admitted at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), of which five are critical and on ventilator support, while the remaining are in the specially created emergency ward. He said six people, including two women, were brought dead to hospitals. Rane said 75 patients have been attended to across government healthcare facilities, including Asilo Hospital (Mapusa), community health centres (CHC) in Bicholim and Sankhali, and GMC.

"We coordinated with the 108 ambulance service, ensuring that five ambulances were dispatched to the site immediately after the incident, while three are at the North Goa district hospital," he said. "Our emergency helpline 104 is active and receiving several calls from those affected by the Shirgao Zatra incident. I am personally monitoring the situation at GMC, and heads of all departments have been directed to report on duty," Rane said. Earlier in the day, Sawant, in a post on X, said he had received a call from PM Modi, who offered his full support. "Deeply saddened by the tragic stampede at the Lairai Zatra in Shirgaon this morning. I visited the hospital to meet the injured and assured all possible support to the affected families. I am personally monitoring the situation to ensure that every necessary measure is being taken," he wrote. The BJP's Goa unit president Damodar Naik said that the Prime Minister's Office is personally monitoring the situation, and the Centre has assured all help. The opposition Congress condoled the incident, while the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) demanded that the government order a probe to fix the responsibility for the stampede and take necessary action. The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee in-charge, Amarnath Panjikar, said, "We request the state government to extend full support to the Devasthan Committee to ensure the safe and smooth continuation of the remaining four days of the Lairaee Jatra, which draws lakhs of devotees to Shirgao." He said adequate safety, crowd management, and emergency response measures should be in place to prevent further mishaps during the ongoing celebrations.

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), meanwhile, demanded that the government order an inquiry to fix the responsibility for the stampede and take necessary action. AITC national spokesman Trajano D'Mello claimed that as per eyewitnesses, the stampede had occurred due to the negligence of the law and order machinery. "The AITC demands that a commission be instituted to conduct an inquiry to fix the responsibility and take necessary action. The government should immediately disburse an ex-gratia payment to those affected by death and injuries at this incident," he said. The Goa Forward Party (GFP) termed the incident as a failure on the part of the police and local administration and demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the kin of the deceased. GFP president Vijai Sardesai, in a statement, said that the incident had shocked everyone, as the administration on Friday informed that 1,000 police officers and drones were deployed to monitor the celebrations. "The government is not involved in any serious governance. I demand that the government immediately declare an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore each for the families of the deceased and a respectable amount to those who are fighting for their lives in different government hospitals," he said. "The police and the emergency health services have failed. I should be demanding the resignation of the chief minister and health minister, but I am not doing that because I don't expect them to resign," he said.