By Sumayya

KOLKATA, INDIA: A massive crowd crush at a Hindu religious celebration in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata killed 17 people and hurt 25 others on Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced money help for the victims’ families.

The accident happened at around 7:40 p.m. local time at the way out gate of the Sarada Park, which people also call the Chorbagan, Durga Puja festival tent in the city’s Girish Park neighborhood, according to an official note by the Kolkata Police. Police said the disaster happened because huge crowds of holiday visitors were moving together during heavy rain. The hurt people were saved and taken to the Medical College and Hospital to get care, the police statement noted, adding that extra police workers, firefighters, disaster rescue teams, ambulances, and medical groups had been sent to the area.

The festival tent was closed down to all visitors right after the accident happened, police stated. Adhikari said that 17 people had been brought to the hospital already dead and 25 other people were hurt. He visited the hospital building where the injured individuals were getting medical care, according to news reports by the Press Trust of India. Modi shared his deep sadness over the deaths and gave his condolences to the crying families, the Prime Minister’s Office shared in an official note printed by the government’s Press Information Bureau.

The government announced a payment of 200,000 rupees ($2,106) from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the closest family member of each person who died, while the hurt people would get 50,000 rupees each, the note stated. The government also shared that the West Bengal local leaders were giving help to the broken families. Durga Puja is one of the biggest yearly religious and cultural celebrations in West Bengal, pulling massive crowds of people to temporary event buildings known as pandals, where statues of the Hindu goddess Durga are set up for worship.

The holiday celebrates the goddess’s win over the demon Mahishasura and is known for its beautiful decorations, holy ceremonies, and massive public gatherings all across the state. The exact reason for the sudden crowd rush was not independently proven in the official facts that were ready. News stories shared by Indian media networks pointed to different descriptions of how the accident happened, including the trouble caused by the rainfall and a fast rush among people standing near the entry and exit gates of the location.