The incident occurred outside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine on Trikuta hills.
The stampede happened when a huge crowd of devotees, who came to pay their obeisance to mark the beginning of the New Year, entered the Vaishno Devi Bhawan, the officials said, adding that “large groups of devotees reportedly entered the Bhawan without permission slips.”
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who is the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office said that PM Narendra Modi is “personally monitoring and keeping track of the tragic situation arising out of stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.”
He further stated that PM Modi has “conveyed his sympathies to bereaved families and issued instructions to provide all possible medical aid & assistance to the injured.”
PM Sh @narendramodi is personally monitoring and keeping track of the tragic situation arising out of stampede at Mata #VaishnoDevi shrine. PM has conveyed his sympathies to bereaved families and issued instructions to provide all possible medical aid & assistance to the injured.
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) January 1, 2022
Senior officials and representatives from the shrine board are at the spot.
Senior officials have confirmed that 12 pilgrims have died dead and at least 14 others are injured in the stampede. “All the injured have been taken to a hospital,” they added.
The condition of many of the injured is said to be “serious”, the official said.
With inputs from NDTV