Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:34am on 28 Jun 2025,Saturday India
During the June 27 Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, a sudden surge of devotees pulling the Taladhwaja (Lord Balabhadra’s) chariot led to chaos, injuring more than 500 pilgrims—mostly with minor wounds, though several required hospitalization and at least eight are critically injured . The annual festival, marking the deities’ journey to Gundicha Temple, drew unprecedented crowd numbers, exacerbating the situation . Despite deploying around 10,000 security personnel, crowd control measures struggled under the pressure . Health authorities treated over 750 devotees on-site, with many succumbing to exhaustion and dehydration in high humidity . Ambulatory corridors, human chains, extra doctors, and beds were mobilized to manage the medical emergency. (PC: Financial Express)
