17 killed in Kolkata festival stampede

At least 17 people were killed and several others injured in a stampede at a religious festival in north Kolkata in India, NDTV reported on Saturday.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Durga Puja, the biggest annual festival of Hindus in India's eastern state of West Bengal, draws thousands of devotees to temporary structures known as pandals, which house idols of the goddess Durga.

A police statement said the stampede occurred in the evening due to "heavy crowds of pandal hoppers amid rainfall." All injured persons were rescued and shifted to hospital.

Besides the dead, 25 people were injured, according to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The injured were taken to Kolkata Medical College. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and the state's chief secretary Manoj Agarwal arrived at the hospital to monitor the situation.

According to eyewitnesses, many festivalgoers lost consciousness, and some were taken to the hospital on motorcycles. One witness said that the entrance to and exit from the pavilion were very narrow and that there was no lighting there.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on US social media company X that the stampede was "saddening."

"Condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families," Modi wrote on US social media company X.

Interior Minister Amit Shah said on X that the "administration is ensuring that all possible medical facilities are being provided to the injured."

Unlike home ceremonies, in the city's pavilions (called "sarbojanin," which means "for everyone") the festival turns into a large-scale public event. Organizers compete for years in the decoration of such pavilions, often dedicating them to social themes, history, or art.