12 dead in stampede at Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K

A heavy rush of devotees was reported at the site

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R Twelve people were reported dead and 13 others were injured in a stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan Katra on Saturday. The incident happened around 2:45am. The stampede was caused by a heavy rush of devotees who had come to pay obeisance in view of the New Year. The incident took place outside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine on Trikuta hills. The injured were removed to the hospital for medical aid.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said in a tweet that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the incident.

 He said the prime minister has conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families and issued instructions to provide all possible medical aid and assistance to the injured. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah about the incident. The J&K administration has ordered a high level inquiry into the incident.

An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs 50,000. The Vaishno Devi Shrine is located at Katra, around 45km from Jammu.

The shrine is a very popular site for devotees all over India. The management of the shrine offers several facilities for the devotees, including boarding and helicopter service for Darshan. The devotees also use battery-operated carts to reach the shrine.