7 dead after power line snaps, triggers stampede at temple in Bihar's Lakhisarai

The incident took place around 6.45 am on Monday as a large number of devotees gathered at the Shiva temple to offer prayers on the third Monday of the holy Shravan month.The stampede took place at the Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar's Lakhisarai Temple.Seven devotees were killed and more than a dozen others injured in a stampede at the Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday after an electric wire reportedly snapped, triggering panic among the crowd.The incident took place around 6.45 am as a large number of devotees gathered at the Shiva temple to offer prayers on the third Monday of the holy Shravan month.According to initial information, the falling wire sparked panic among devotees, following which a stampede broke out at the temple premises.Several people were caught in the rush and sustained injuries have been taken to Lakhisarai Hospital for treatment. Commenting on the incident, Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said arrangements had been made in anticipation of a large turnout, but the crowd became "unprecedented". According to the DM, a section of the barricading gave way under the pressure of the crowd, causing people to fall over one another."We came to know that barricading broke out on one side due to the crowd and people fell on each other. We rushed 10-15 people here immediately," Kumar said. A witness at the site told Aaj Tak, India Today’s sister channel, that around 100 people allegedly pushed through the barricades near the temple entrance, triggering chaos as devotees fell over one another.He claimed that there was inadequate security and crowd management at the spot, which he described as a sloping passage. He said devotees were trying to enter through a bamboo barricade when people from behind began pushing, causing the barricade to give way and several people to fall."There was no administration or security personnel there to manage the crowd. People were pushing each other to enter, and everyone who fell was being trampled on," the witness said.He also said his wife was caught in the crowd and that he was unable to locate his daughter in the immediate aftermath of the stampede.Stampedes have occurred at the Ashok Dham Temple complex in the past.On August 12, 2019, also during the Shravan month, one devotee was killed and around 15 were others were injured in a stampede.- EndsPublished By: Devika BhattacharyaPublished On: Aug 17, 2026 08:02 IST