Six killed after falling wires cause crowd surge at Hindu temple in India
Relatives stand outside a hospital as the injured from temple stampede were brought, in Haridwar, India (AP)
A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in Haridwar, northern India, resulted in at least six deaths and 29 injuries on Sunday.
The incident was triggered when a high-voltage electric wire reportedly fell on a temple path, causing widespread panic among the large gathering of devotees.
Thousands of pilgrims had congregated at the Mansa Devi hilltop temple to celebrate the holy month of Shravan when the panic ensued around 9 a.m.
Local officials and a priest indicated that a narrow pathway and a wall along it exacerbated the crowd bottleneck, contributing to the tragic consequences.
Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the overhead wire collapse and assessing whether appropriate crowd management protocols were in place.
