UPDATE- Death toll rises to 19 in stampede at Hindu festival in eastern India

UPDATE WITH NUMBER

By Ahmad Adil and Fatma Zehra Solmaz

NEW DELHI / ISTANBUL (AA) -The death toll from a stampede at a religious festival in north Kolkata, in India's West Bengal state, rose to 19 on Saturday, official said.

The incident took place at a Durga Puja pandal, a temporary pavilion housing 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.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said 25 people were injured in the stampede, with 24 having recovered from critical condition and one remaining in critical condition.

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.”