A stampede-like situation at the Jagannath Temple in Puri resulted in the hospitalization of at least six girl students, as reported by the police. Fortunately, the condition of the girls is stable.

The incident involved a group of 70 students, both boys and girls, from Hrudananda High School in the Rasgovindpur area of Mayurbhanj district. They had arrived in Puri on Monday for a Christmas holiday picnic. Spending the day at the sea beach, the students visited the 12th-century shrine in the evening before their planned return home.

Around 8 pm, as the students ascended the 22 steps (‘Baisi Pahacha’) leading to the temple, the girls found themselves caught in a stampede-like situation, resulting in some of them fainting, according to a temple office-bearer. The temple had experienced a high volume of visitors throughout the day.

Following the incident, the injured girls, who were in classes 9 and 10, were promptly rescued and admitted to a local hospital for medical attention.