Jammu | Twelve people were killed and 14 others were injured in a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Saturday. Temple officials said the stampede took place when a large number of devotees entered the Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan without permission slips.
“A large number of devotees had come to visit the temple on New Year’s eve. The stampede took place at around 2.45 am today,” he said.
Senior officials of the government and the shrine board have reached the spot.
Officials said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the relief and rescue operations.”
Modi tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the loss of life and property due to the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. My condolences to the bereaved families. Hope the injured recover soon. I spoke to all the officials present there about the situation. Checked out.”
The Prime Minister’s Office also announced an amount of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for all the families of the deceased.
The PMO said that this amount will be given to the families of those who lost their lives in the stampede. Also, Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured.
