Seven dead in Bihar temple stampede, worst in 24 months of crowd disasters

Seven people, all women, died in a stampede at Bihar's Ashok Dham Temple in Lakhisarai on August 2026, report timesnownews.com. Nearly 50,000 devotees had gathered when a barricade gave way near Ashok Dham Halt railway station. Rumours of a live fallen electric pole triggered panic as two trains offloaded pilgrims into an already packed queue.

The incident is the tenth deadly crowd tragedy in 24 months, according to timesnownews.com's timeline. India's deadliest recent stampede was at a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, on July 2, 2024, where Uttar Pradesh Police confirmed dozens of deaths, mostly women and children. A political rally by actor-turned-CM Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on September 27, 2025, killed 41 people, and a judicial inquiry was ordered.

Other major disasters include a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 15, 2025, with 18 deaths including five children, and the Maha Kumbh stampede in Prayagraj on January 29, 2025, where the UP government revised the toll to 37. The Bangladesh RCB IPL celebration on June 4, 2025, also killed 11 people outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.