10 Hindu pilgrims die in stamped

10 Hindu pilgrims die in stampede

Dhaka, March 27

At least 10 Hindu pilgrims, including seven women, were killed and 50 others injured today in a stampede when hundreds of thousands converged for the annual ‘Ashtami Snan’ on the banks of the Old Brahmaputra River outside the Bangladeshi capital.

Devotees thronged the venue of the ‘Ashtami Snan’ in Bandar upazila of Narayanganj early morning and the bathing started at 5:48 AM. The flow of devotees peaked within a few hours, Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Jakaria said.

Although the local administration had arranged for 16 quays for the ritual bath, the devotees had raced to ‘Rajghat’. The stampede took place between 9:15 to 10AM, Jakaria said. — PTI