Earlier today, on May 3, a stampede in Goa‘s Lairai Devi temple took six lives and left several others injured. Hours prior the tragedy at the Shirgaon Temple, devotees were gathered in a large number. As panic struck the procession, a stampede situation broke out during the annual Lairai Devi Jatra.

The stampede broke out as thousands of devotees thronged narrow lanes leading to a temple in Shirgao village, some 40 kilometers from the state capital of Panaji as per PTI reports. Tens of thousands of devotees from Goa and neighboring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka were in the crowd.

What led to the Shirgao Temple, Goa stampede?

While the exact cause is still unknown, there was a reporting of an electric shock that might have kick-started the panic. Visuals of devotees gathered around a huge fire have surfaced however the exact time has not been made clear. A sudden rush was felt around 4:30 AM IST and chaos engulfed the crowd. Police officials and rescue teams reached the site with ambulances. Despite of swift action, six lives were lost to the stampede.

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According to Goa CM Pramod Sawant, an electric shock has come out to be the cause of the Goa stampede. As the devotees were also standing on a sloped surface, they fell over after losing balance.

As relief operations are underway, emergency services are on high-alert moving on. Among the casualties are a 17-year-old boy who lost his life. The affected and injured have been taken to the nearby Goa Medical College and North Goa District Hospital. CM Sawant visited the site promptly after the news was confirmed. PM Modi and President Murmu have also expressed their condolences and support after the event.