By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-08-17 03:55:57 | Updated at 2026-08-17 06:04:00
2 hours ago
Aug 17 - At least six people died and several were injured in an incident police suspect was triggered by a falling electricity pole that alarmed a crowd of worshippers at a temple in India's eastern state of Bihar, officials said on Monday.
• Authorities were checking the cause of the incident among devotees observing a Hindu holy month at the Ashok Dham temple in the district of Lakhisarai.
• "It is being said that an electric pole fell there and people were electrocuted, which led to a stampede-like situation," Shivam Kumar, a senior police officer, told news agency ANI. "We can tell you the exact reason only after verifying everything."
• At least five people were injured in the incident, a senior official told Reuters.
• Television showed images of relatives thronging hospitals as rescuers brought in people on stretchers.
• India's history of crowd accidents includes 30 deaths at the giant Maha Kumbh festival last year, when tens of millions gathered to bathe in sacred waters. REUTERS
