Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra Sees Stampede-Like Situation, 1 Devotee Dead, Several Injured (Watch Videos)
A festive atmosphere turned tragic on Sunday after one devotee died of suspected suffocation and several others were injured during a stampede-like situation at the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri. The deceased has been identified by local authorities as Lalit Bagarti, a resident of Saintala in Odisha’s Balangir district.
A festive atmosphere turned tragic on Sunday after one devotee died of suspected suffocation and several others were injured during a stampede-like situation at the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri. The deceased has been identified by local authorities as Lalit Bagarti, a resident of Saintala in Odisha’s Balangir district. The incident occurred during the highly anticipated pulling of the three massive wooden chariots, which drew an estimated crowd of nearly one million devotees to the coastal temple town.
According to officials and eyewitnesses, the chaos began shortly after the chariot of Lord Balabhadra, Taladhwaja, began its journey. As the chariot moved forward, a sudden surge of devotees breached the security cordon, creating high-pressure crowd density. Why Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra Travel to the Gundicha Temple During Rath Yatra.
Volunteer rescue teams on the ground reported that several elderly devotees fell during the rush. Emergency medical volunteers administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to Bagarti in an ambulance while rushing him to the hospital, but he was declared dead upon arrival by doctors. "The crowd suddenly increased outside the security cordon. We managed to pull the deceased out of the crush and administered CPR all the way to the hospital, but doctors ultimately pronounced him dead," said a volunteer from the St. John Ambulance service.
Local health officials confirmed that extreme humidity coupled with the massive crowd resulted in over 300 individuals seeking medical attention for dehydration, respiratory distress, and minor injuries by Sunday evening. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep grief over the devotee's death and announced an ex-gratia financial assistance of ₹4 lakh for the bereaved family.
State Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, along with the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary, visited the Puri District Headquarters Hospital on Sunday night to assess the condition of those undergoing treatment. Officials confirmed that emergency protocols were activated swiftly, keeping casualties to a minimum despite the scale of the gathering. How To Survive a Stampede? Essential Skills and Key Survival Tips for Protecting Yourself in a Crowd (Watch Videos).
Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri Marred by Tragedy
The annual Jagannath Rath Yatra is one of the largest religious congregations in the world, where deities from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple are transported to the Gundicha Temple. Due to unique celestial alignments, this year's Rath Yatra was scheduled as a rare two-day affair. Security was heavily reinforced with artificial intelligence-enabled CCTV cameras and dozens of fire tenders spraying water to cool down the crowds in the sweltering heat. Chariot-pulling, which was temporarily halted on Sunday evening, resumed safely the following day.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 16, 2026 06:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).