At least 2 feared dead, 10 hurt as Odisha's longest bridge sees stampede

A massive crowd had gathered for the Makar Sankranti Mela.

Updated on: Jan 14, 2023, 19:22:20 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Two people were feared dead while at least 10 others - including women and children - were seriously injured as a stampede broke out on the on the Gopinathpur-Badamba T-bridge over River Mahanadi in Athagarh of the Cuttack district on Saturday during the Makar Sankranti Mela. Officially, the death toll is yet to be confirmed.

The T-Setu bridge is Odisha's longest. (Twitter/ File photo)

On the occasion of Makar Sankranti Mela, officials said, more than 2 lakh devotees had converged over the 3.4 km long bridge. It is the longest river bridge in Odisha. The devotees were rushing forward to have a glimpse of Lord Singhanath in the temple situated in an island of Mahanadi when the incident was reported.

"There were more than 2 lakh people on the bridge when the stampede broke out. The crowd was more than what we expected. The situation spiralled out of control before anyone could realise anything," said Hemant Kumar Swain, sub collector of Athagarh.

The injured have been rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in the Cuttack town. The death toll may rise as some children have been seriously injured.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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