89 people confirmed dead in India temple stampede in Madhya Pradesh

There was stampede today in Madhya Pradesh temple, India which saw 89 worshippers lose their lives. Thousands had congregated at the temple for a religious festival. Fright broke out as multitudes of pilgrims tried to cross a bridge on the Sindh river, adjacent  to the shrine.

Many of the fatalities were killed in the stampede, while others died after jumping off the bridge. Local devotee Atul Chaudhary, who escaped unharmed, claimed that he heard shouts, and people began rushing to get off the bridge."Several people could be seen flattened to the ground in the midst of the melee," he alleged."Some of the youngsters panicked and jumped into the swollen river."I and my friends were close to the exit point and along with several others ran for safety. Scores of others were not so lucky."

Hindu commemorations in India are commonly known for deadly stampedes.In the past year, many have died as a result of similar happenings. In 2011 over100 innocents lost their lives at a festival in the southern state of Kerala. Inside Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort, nearly 220 people were killed in 2008 in a pandemonium at the Chamunda Devi Hindu temple.

Authorities assert that stampedes are common during such religious festivals due to poor crowd control. Furthermore, the Indian security forces are said to be ill-equipped thus making it difficult for them to respond appropriately to such disasters.