SRINAGAR: The New Year began on a gloomy note as, at least, twelve pilgrims died and fourteen others were injured in a stampede that occurred at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at around 2.45 am on Saturday, sending shock waves across the country and beyond.
A report, not confirmed by officials, put the number of the injured at 20. The authorities said that the injured are being treated at Naraina hospital at Katra, the basecamp of the revered place of Hindu worship tucked away in Trikuta hills near Jammu and Kashmir’s winter capital Jammu. A medical official Dr. Gopal Dutt said, “Fatal casualties are from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and one from J&K”.
