A heartbreaking tragedy unfolded in Bihar’s Nalanda district on Tuesday, where at least eight women lost their lives and several others were injured after chaos broke out at a crowded temple gathering.

The incident took place at the Sheetla Mata Temple during a religious event that had drawn a huge number of devotees early in the morning. According to initial reports, the situation spiraled out of control as the crowd swelled beyond capacity, leading to panic and a stampede-like condition.

Eyewitnesses described a scene of extreme congestion, with people struggling to even enter the temple premises. Many devotees had gathered on an empty stomach in the heat, which worsened the situation. Some reportedly fainted due to low blood pressure, triggering confusion and panic among the crowd.

A person at the hospital told ANI, “There was a massive crowd there, people did not even have space to go inside the temple, it was very sunny and since most of the people were on an empty stomach early in the morning some of them experienced low BP and fainted, the ambulance also arrived very late which raised serious concerns.”

Another woman, who had come with her group from Patna, broke down while recalling the incident. She said, “There was a massive crowd, four of us had come together but we got separated, people were trampled on and there was complete chaos.”

The tragedy coincided with the visit of President Droupadi Murmu to Nalanda on the same day. She is scheduled to visit the historic Nalanda ruins, located close to the temple where the incident occurred.

As soon as authorities were alerted, police teams and local villagers rushed to the spot to assist in rescue efforts. The injured were immediately shifted to nearby hospitals, where they are currently undergoing treatment.

Officials have launched relief and rescue operations, and further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the tragedy and identify possible lapses in crowd management and emergency response.