At least 19 killed in stampede at Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, India

What happened

A stampede broke out on the evening of Saturday, 17 October, at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, in the West Bengal state of eastern India. Pandals are temporary pavilions put up for the festival, and they house idols of the goddess Durga. Police said heavy crowds had gathered outside the structure as rain began to fall, and an announcement made at that moment caused commotion. A senior police official told AFP that the people waiting outside started pushing forward, and some fell to the ground, which set off the stampede. Witnesses said many people lost consciousness in the crush, and some of the injured were taken to hospital on motorcycles.

Death toll and victims

Early reports, including one from Al Jazeera, put the toll at 17 dead and 25 injured, and The Hindu said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had confirmed the figure. A later report from RMF24 gives at least 19 dead, citing local authorities and medical services. Adhikari told reporters that a seven-year-old girl was among the fatalities. He also said six bodies had so far been identified:

“Six bodies have so far been identified.”

The pandal where the incident happened has been closed, and police decided to shut other similar structures temporarily as a precaution.

Early reports17

Later report19

Early reports

17 deaths

Later report

19 deaths

Data from the article text

Officials respond

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as saddening and posted his condolences on X.

“Condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families.”

Modi's office announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,106) for the next of kin of those who died. Each injured person is to receive 50,000 rupees ($527), a separate payment. Interior Minister Amit Shah said the administration was ensuring that all possible medical facilities were being provided to the injured.

Festival and earlier crowd disasters

Durga Puja honors the goddess Durga as a symbol of good triumphing over evil, and it is marked in West Bengal from 16 to 21 October. The festival is also observed in Bangladesh and Nepal, and Kolkata, home to about 6.5 million people, draws thousands of devotees from across the region. Al Jazeera notes that deadly crowd incidents happen often at Indian mass events, frequently because of poor management and safety lapses. In January 2025, a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj killed at least 30 people. In Bengaluru, 11 fans were crushed to death while celebrating the local cricket team's first Indian Premier League title. In Tamil Nadu, 36 people were killed in a stampede at a campaign rally for a popular actor-turned-politician, and in 2024, 121 people died at a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh.