At least one dead, 100 injured in crush at Indian chariot festival

Rescue workers provide first aid and oxygen to devotees caught in the crush, Odisha state police says

Municipal workers spray water mist on devotees to provide relief from heat during the annual Rath Yatra, or chariot procession, in Ahmedabad, India, Jul 16, 2026. REUTERS/Amit

At least one person died and nearly 100 were taken to hospital on Thursday in a crush at a popular chariot festival in Puri in eastern India, officials said.

Thousands of devotees had thronged the Jagannath Temple in the eastern state of Odisha to participate in the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, one of India's largest and most revered festivals, where three people were killed in a crush last year.

● One person died due to a heart attack, said Soumendra Priyadarshi, a police official at the festival.

● Umashankar Dash, a fire and emergency services officer, said nearly 100 people were taken to hospitals after complaining that they could not breathe.

● Odisha state police said on X that rescue workers provided first aid and oxygen to devotees.

● Crowd crushes are common at large gatherings in India, where safety regulations are often overlooked.

● A stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival in Uttar Pradesh state killed at least 39 people in January last year.