Cuttack, January 14: One person was killed and 20 others were injured, four of them seriously, in a stampede on a bridge over Mahanadi river in Cuttack district on Saturday.
The incident took place as a large number of people congregated on 3.4 km-long-Badamba-Gopinathpur T-Bridge on the occasion of Makar Mela.
On the occasion of Makar Sankranti, there was a huge rush on the bridge which connects Lord Singhanath shrine located in the middle of the Mahanadi River. It was when the devotees were negotiating along the bridge that suddenly a stampede took place.
Badamba-Narsinghpur MLA Debi Prasad Mishra confirmed that one woman, identified as 45-year-old Anjana Swain, died in the incident, while four seriously injured people were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack city.
Athagarh Sub-Collector Hemanta Kumar Swain said around 1.5-2 lakh people turned up for Makar Mela which resulted in massive crowding on the 3-km-long bridge leading to the stampede.”
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured ones.
The bridge was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on December 20, 2021. To reach the Singhanath shrine, there is a fair-weather road as well. Today, it is reported that the devotees took the bridge to reach the shrine as it being the shortest route.
