Hotel blaze, stampede kill 15 Hindu devotees in India

At least 15 people were killed on Monday in two separate incidents in eastern India while paying homage to the Hindu deity Shiva during the holy month of Shravan, officials said.

A fire at a hotel in Tarapith, West Bengal, killed eight people, while a stampede at a Shiva temple in neighboring Bihar killed seven others.

What happened in the India hotel fire and temple stampede?

A hotel fire in West Bengal's Tarapith killed eight people who had travelled there to pray on the final Monday of Shravan, a sacred month dedicated to Shiva that draws huge crowds.

Separately, seven pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede at the Ashok Dham temple in Bihar's Lakhisarai district, after rumors spread of an electric pole falling on devotees.

What caused the hotel fire in Tarapith?

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said in a statement, "Words cannot adequately express the grief I feel for the families who have lost their loved ones."

The victims had gathered in Tarapith as part of the huge crowds that travel there each Shravan to offer prayers to Shiva.

What triggered the temple stampede in Bihar?

The stampede at Ashok Dham temple broke out after rumours spread that an electric pole had fallen on devotees inside the temple premises, district magistrate Shailendra Kumar told AFP.

Nineteen other people were injured in the crush. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as "heart-wrenching" and announced compensation of 400,000 rupees, around $4,180, for each victim's family.

How common are stampedes at Indian religious gatherings?

Deadly stampedes are a common occurrence at big Indian gatherings and religious festivals, mainly due to poor crowd management.

One of India's worst recent crowd disasters occurred in 2024 in Uttar Pradesh, where 120 people died during a religious gathering attended by tens of thousands of devotees.