World

One dead, 100 hurt in crush at Indian chariot festival

By AAP Newswire

Jul 17, 2026

The Rath Yatra chariot festival is considered one of the world's oldest religious processions. -AP

At ‌least one person has died and nearly 100 were taken to ‌hospital after a crush at a popular ‌Hindu chariot festival in Puri in eastern India, officials say.

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Thousands of devotees had thronged the Jagannath Temple in the eastern state of Odisha to participate in ‌the annual Jagannath ‌Rath ⁠Yatra, one of India's largest and most revered festivals, where three people were killed in a crush last year.

One person died due to a heart attack, said Soumendra Priyadarshi, a ⁠police official at ‌the festival.

Umashankar Dash, a fire and emergency services officer, said nearly ‌100 people were taken to hospitals after complaining that they could not breathe.

The festival is considered one of the world's oldest and largest religious processions.

The centuries-old festival involves the idols of Hindu deities being taken out of the Jagannath Temple and carried through the streets in colourfully decorated chariots.

Videos from the scene showed injured devotees being carried to hospitals as shoes, bags and other belongings were left strewn across the area in the aftermath of the incident.

Odisha state police said on X that rescue workers provided first aid and oxygen to devotees.

Crowd crushes ‌are common at large gatherings in India, where safety regulations are often overlooked.

A stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival in Uttar Pradesh state killed at least 39 people in January last year.

with AP