Odisha
Odisha bridge stampede leaves one dead, around 20 injured
Cuttack/UNI: One person died, and 20 others were injured-six of them seriously-in a stampede on the Gopinathpur T bridge near Badamba in Odisha's Cuttack district on Saturday evening, the local MLA Debi Prasan Mishra said.
Police identified the deceased as Anjana Swain (45).
All six critically injured were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital Cuttack. Others were admitted to Badamba hospital.
The injured included women and children.
Sources said the stampede occurred when around two lakh people gathered on the narrow bridge, which connects the main road with a temple, to visit the Badamba Singhanath Pitha Makar Mela organised on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Local people blamed the district administration for the mishap.
They alleged that the crush resulted due to crowd mismanagement as only three police platoons were deployed.
Compared to the huge gathering of people, the number of cops deployed was very inadequate, they said.
Senior officers have reached the spot and are trying to take control of the situation.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed profound grief over the death in the stampede and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.
Patnaik expressed his sympathy to the bereaved family members and directed officials to provide free medical care to the injured and prayed for their speedy recovery.
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