According to Al Jazeera, the tragedy occurred as tens of thousands of Hindu worshippers gathered for the annual Shri Lairai Zatra festival at the Sree Lairai Devi temple. The incident left six people dead and at least 80 injured.
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India has reported yet another crowd-crushing incident, this time at a temple in the western state of Goa on 2 May 2025. According to Al Jazeera, the tragedy occurred as tens of thousands of Hindu worshippers gathered for the annual Shri Lairai Zatra festival at the Sree Lairai Devi temple. The incident left six people dead and at least 80 injured.
Crowd-crushing incidents remain a recurring issue in India, particularly during religious festivals and large public gatherings. In January 2025, at least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede during the Maha Kumbh festival in Uttar Pradesh. Just a month later, on 15 February, overcrowding at New Delhi Railway Station led to another deadly stampede that claimed the lives of 18 passengers.
Regarding the latest incident in Goa, Al Jazeera, citing reports from the Press Trust of India, stated that the crush occurred when people standing on a slope near the temple lost their balance and fell, causing others nearby to fall. This account was provided by Goa’s Director General of Police, Alok Kumar.
Of the injured, five people are reported to be in critical condition and on ventilator support. The remaining victims are being treated in a specially established emergency ward.
