10 die in stampede during Hindu religious gathering in Narayanganj

At least 10 people were killed and dozens more injured on Friday in a stampede during a Hindu religious gathering in Bangladesh, police said. The accident took place in Langalbandh, a Hindu pilgrimage spot on the banks of the Brahmaputra river, 12 miles southeast of capital Dhaka, according to police. The cause of the stampede was not immediately clear.

The annual religious bathing ritual in Bangladesh’s Narayanganj district draws thousands of Hindu devotees from Bangladesh and also neighboring India and Nepal.

At least 20 others were injured in the incident on Old Brahmaputra River bank at Langalbandh on Friday.

Witnesses say a rumour that a bailey bridge was collapsing triggered the stampede while many blamed mismanagement.

Police have denied the allegations.

Police say the bodies will be handed to families without post-mortem examinations.

The district administration announced Tk 25,000 to families of each victim for funeral.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have mourned the casualties.

Langalbandh, 20 km southeast of Dhaka, is a Hindu holy site that hosts an annual ritual bath where pilgrims from home and abroad take part. The ritual’s origin is unclear.

An estimated 1.5 million devotees thronged Langalbandh on Friday.

Although the local administration prepared 16 quays, most devotees raced to the ancient Rajghat.

Local Union Parishad member Abdul Quadir said devotees had mostly thronged the Rajghat, Annapurna and Gandhi quays.

“The street is narrow but the bridge is narrower. People suddenly started running in a frenzy leading to the deaths”

What triggered the rumour is unclear.

Many blamed police inaction for the incident while others say lack of ambulances led to a rise in the toll.

Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Anisur Rahman Mian blamed overcrowding for the stampede.

A senior police official in the district said that more police had been sent to the festival site after the accident and the bathing ritual had resumed after the stampede had been controlled.

Saturday 28 March 2015

http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/03/27/at-least-10-crushed-to-death-in-bangladesh-stampede http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2015/03/27/10-die-in-stampede-during-hindu-religious-gathering-in-nganj