Two devotees die, several taken ill during Puri Rath Yatra amid heavy rain and crowd surge

Two devotees died and several others fell ill during the Rath Yatra celebrations in Odisha's Puri on Thursday, July 16, amid a temporary crowd surge and continuous rainfall, even as the state government maintained that the festival was conducted peacefully without any stampede.

According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), seven devotees fell ill during the festival and were immediately shifted to hospitals. One elderly male devotee, aged above 60 years, died while undergoing treatment, with authorities awaiting confirmation of the exact cause of death.

In a separate incident, another male devotee aged above 35 years suffered a cardiac arrest and died despite receiving immediate medical attention.

The CMO said several other devotees who experienced rain-related health complications, including fatigue, dehydration, suffocation and minor discomfort, were treated at hospitals and later discharged.

Inspector General of Fire Services Umashankar Dash said rescue teams evacuated nearly 100 devotees who complained of suffocation amid the heavy rush on the Grand Road (Bada Danda), where the chariots are pulled towards the Shree Gundicha Temple.

"We rescued almost 100 people who felt suffocated in the crowd and shifted them to temporary hospitals and ambulances," Dash told reporters.

The Odisha government said nearly eight to nine lakh devotees from across India and abroad participated in the annual festival.

Despite the large turnout and adverse weather, the government asserted that there was no stampede or systemic breakdown in crowd management, adding that coordinated efforts by the administration, security personnel, servitors and volunteers ensured the smooth movement of devotees.

Leader of the Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the deaths and prayed for the departed souls. He also wished a speedy recovery to the injured devotees and urged the state government to ensure better crowd management and safety measures.

State Congress president Bhakta Charan Das criticised the government, alleging that the administration was responsible for the deaths and called for measures to prevent such incidents in future.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi thanked the servitors, officials and devotees for their cooperation, saying the government remains committed to ensuring the safety, dignity and convenience of pilgrims through improved infrastructure and administrative preparedness.

The incident comes a year after three people were killed and several others injured in a stampede near the Gundicha Temple during the 2025 Rath Yatra celebrations.