Goa temple stampede: Many feared dead, 80 injured during annual festival in Shirgao

India Today

A midnight ritual at Goa’s Shri Lairai Devi temple turned tragic when a stampede broke out during the annual jatra, leaving seven dead and over 80 injured.

Transcript

00:00These were the scenes around 3 a.m. on 2 May 2025 in Goa, where at least seven people died

00:09and more than 80 were injured in a stampede during a temple festival in North Goa, Shirkau village.

00:14Thousands had gathered at the Shri Lerai Tevi Temple in Bicholim for the annual

00:18jatra that began on 1 May. Among the injured, at least 10 remained in critical condition

00:23and were under observation at Goa Medical College, according to authorities.

00:27Lerai, believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, is one of the seven sister deities

00:32in Goan folklore. The festival draws large crowds from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

00:37At midnight, devotees were seen gathered around a massive fire for a ritual where they sit and make

00:41wishes on burning embers as part of the tradition known as Agni Divya. Director General of Police

00:47Alok Kumar said nearly 30,000 to 40,000 devotees were present, many standing on a slope near the temple.

00:57Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the injured at North Goa District Hospital and ordered a formal

01:03inquiry into the incident, assuring that the findings would be made public.

01:13Among the dead was a 17-year-old boy and over 50 others sustained serious injuries.

01:18The wounded were taken to nearby hospitals. Over thousand police personnel, drone surveillance,

01:23even a riot van were part of the arrangements. Still the system buckled, a sacred night turned tragic.

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