Two dead, 32 injured after monkeys break electric wire triggering stampede at Avsaneshwar temple in UP’s Barabanki temple

Two people were killed and 32 injured in a stampede at a temple here after a live electric wire, broken by monkeys, fell onto a tin shed early on Monday, officials said. The incident occurred at the Avsaneshwar temple in the Haidergarh area during the holy month of Shravan on Monday when devotees had gathered at the temple for ‘jalabhishek’ (offering water as a ritual). The electric current spread through the tin shed as the wire fell, triggering panic and a stampede in the temple premises.

Prashant (22) from the Mubarakpura village under the Lonikatra police station area and another 30-year-old devotee succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the Trivediganj Community Health Centre (CHC), officials said.

This comes a day after eight people were killed in a stampede that broke out during a rush of pilgrims along a stair route leading to the Mansa Devi temple on a hilltop in Haridwar. Rumours of an electric current where the stairs begin triggered panic among people, leading to the stampede, according to the police.