146 die in stampede at Naina Devi temple

Shravan Navratra, an auspicious day turned out to be a disaster for many unfortunate prople at 11am on Sunday.

At least 146 devotees, mostly women and children, were feared dead after they were crushed to death in a stampede at the Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, about 150km from Shimla and 110 km from Chandigarh. According to reports over 300 were injured.

It is said that a rumour of a landslide led to the stampede when more than one lakh pilgrims were trekking the one-kilometre step way from the Naina Devi bus stand to the hilltop shrine.

65 people had been killed in a stampede in 1978 at the same spot.