KOLKATA: At least 17 people were killed and two dozen more injured on Saturday in eastern India after a stampede that was likely caused by sudden rainfall during a Hindu religious gathering, officials said.

West Bengal`s Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari told reporters the fatalities included a seven-year-old girl, adding that 25 others were injured outside a pavilion `in a stampede` at the Hindu festival of Durga Puja in the city of Kolkata.

`Six bodies have so far beenidentified,` Adhikari said. A senior police official at the scene told this news agency an announcement caused `commotion` after it started raining at night and the `crowd waiting outside the pandal (pavilion) was pushing, pulling and rush-ing forward and fell on the ground, leading to the stampede`. Deadly crowd incidents are a frequent occurrence at Indian mass events, such as religious festivals, due to poor management and safety lapses.

Last year, a stampede at Kumbh Mela religious fair killed 30 people and injured several others, and 11 fans were crushed to death in Bengaluru during celebrations for the local cricket team`s first Indian Premier League title.

The same year, 36 people were killed after a stampede broke out at a campaign rally of a popular actor-turned-politician in southern Tamil Nadu state.

In 2024, 121 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh state during a Hindu religious gathering.-AFP