12 dead in stampede at popular Hindu shrine in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India — A stampede astatine a fashionable Hindu shrine successful Indian-controlled Kashmir killed astatine slightest 12 radical and injured 12 others connected New Year’s Day, officials said.

An probe has been ordered into what caused the stampede aboriginal Saturday astatine the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine, wherever thousands of Hindu devotees were gathered to wage their respect successful the hilly municipality of Katra adjacent confederate Jammu city.

No different details were instantly available.

Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi expressed his condolences successful a connection connected Twitter.

“Extremely saddened by the nonaccomplishment of lives owed to a stampede,” Modi wrote.

Pilgrims often trek connected ft to scope the hilltop temple, which is 1 of the astir visited shrines successful bluish India.

Deadly stampedes are reasonably communal during Indian spiritual festivals, arsenic ample crowds, sometimes successful the millions, stitchery successful tiny areas with fewer information oregon assemblage power measures.

In 2013, pilgrims visiting a temple for a fashionable Hindu festival successful India’s cardinal Madhya Pradesh authorities stampeded amid fears that a span would collapse, and astatine slightest 115 radical were crushed to decease oregon died successful the stream below.

More than 100 Hindu devotees died successful 2011 successful a stampede astatine a spiritual festival successful the confederate Indian authorities of Kerala.