A stampede broke out during the Pahandi ritual in Puri as lakhs of devotees gathered for the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra. The procession was halted for the day and will resume on Friday.
One dead, around 100 injured in stampede at Rath Yatra in Puri
— Shakeel Yasar Ullah (@yasarullah) July 16, 2026
Around 100 devotees were injured and one person died of suspected suffocation in a stampede during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, where lakhs of devotees had gathered to take part in the grand chariot procession. pic.twitter.com/R2oek8xCtj
One person was killed after a stampede broke out during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri on Thursday, as more than one million devotees gathered for the festival.
The incident took place during the Pahandi ritual, when the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were being brought to their chariots. According to initial reports, devotees moved towards the chariots for a closer view, leading to heavy crowding. Volunteers tried to push the crowd back, but the situation quickly turned into a stampede.
Heavy rain was falling in Puri when the incident occurred, adding to the challenge of managing the large crowd. Several devotees reportedly suffered breathing difficulties and were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Despite the disruption, Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha chariot began moving at around 7.30 pm. After covering only a short distance, the first day’s procession was halted. The Rath Yatra will resume on Friday morning and continue towards the Gundicha Temple, around 3 km from the Jagannath Temple.
The annual festival attracted more than one million devotees from across the country despite the rain. Authorities had deployed around 13,000 security personnel, 19 IPS officers, AI-powered CCTV cameras, drones and emergency response teams to manage the event.
The incident comes a year after another stampede during the 2025 Rath Yatra near Gundicha Temple, in which three devotees lost their lives and more than 50 others were injured.
Authorities have not yet released the final number of injured people. Further details are awaited.
“One person died after a stampede during the Pahandi ritual at the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri. The procession was halted and will resume on Friday.”
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