At least six people were killed and over 60 injured in a stampede during the Shree Lairai Zatra festival in Shirgao village of Bicholim, Goa, on Saturday.
The stampede occurred around 3 am at the Shri Lairai Devi temple in Bicholim, where thousands of devotees had gathered for the temple’s annual jatra, which began on Friday. Among the injured, at least 10 people remain in critical condition and are under observation at Goa Medical College, authorities said.
“The circumstances are not yet clear, but it appears that one person fell on a steep slope near the approach road of the temple, which then led to a stampede,” a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity. The narrow stretch, crowded with worshippers, quickly became the site of chaos as people tried to escape the surge.
The six people who lost their lives in the Shirgao Jatra stampede have been identified as Surya Mayekar, a resident of Sakhali in Bicholim; Pratibha Kalangutkar from Kumbharjua; Yeshwant Kerkar from Thivim; Sagar Nandarge of Mathwada, Piligao; and Aditya Kauthankar and Tanuja Kauthankar, both residents of Auchit Wada, Thivim.
The deceased include two men and two women who were brought dead to the hospital, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane confirmed. Of the 60 reported casualties, eight are in critical condition.
The injured have been admitted to the North Goa district hospital in Mapusa, Goa Medical College, and a primary health centre in Bicholim, the police said.
