At least 12 people were killed and 14 injured in a stampede that occurred early Saturday at a Hindu shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir, a senior government official said.
He added that "the outcome may be greater, as the road leading to the shrine located at the top of a hill was crowded with followers trying to visit it to perform traditional prayers on the occasion of the New Year."
The Mata Vaishno Devi shrine is one of the holiest Hindu sites in northern India, as tens of thousands of followers visit it daily for prayers.
Stampede at Katra, #JammuAndKashmir: 12 dead, 14 injured at Mata #VaishnoDevi Shrine;
Rs 2 lakh compensation for families of those killed, Rs 50,000 for injured Vaishno Devi pilgrims
NDTV's Nazir Masoodi reports
Read more: https://t.co/XVaE4mGCML pic.twitter.com/Jg0ddYFAjZ
— NDTV (@ndtv) January 1, 2022
Another disaster management official confirmed the death toll, noting that the stampede occurred at dawn. "The government has ordered a high-level investigation into the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi quickly expressed his regret over the incident and offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
"I am deeply saddened by the loss of life," Modi said in a tweet, adding that he was following up on the details of the incident with local officials.
Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan.
Condolences to the bereaved families.
May the injured recover soon.
Spoke to JK LG Shri @manojsinha_ Ji, Ministers Shri @DrJitendraSingh Ji, @nityanandraibjp Ji and took stock of the situation.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 1, 2022
"Twelve pilgrims were killed and 14 injured when a stampede occurred in the early hours of this morning at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine," said senior police officer Mukesh Singh.
He added that all the injured were taken to hospital.
Another official said the stampede occurred when a large crowd of people who had come to celebrate the New Year rushed into the shrine.