&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "WATCH | Crowd forms human chain to create ambulance corridor during Jagannath Rath Yatra")
In a remarkable incident, hundreds of volunteers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) formed a massive human chain to create a corridor for an ambulance to pass during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra. The video, which is being circulated on social media, shows people creating a human chain and blocking the crowd to create a passage in the middle.
The religious gathering drew lakhs of pilgrims, with reports suggesting a stampede-like situation at the festival in Odisha. While the state government denied the claims of any stampede, it confirmed that two people were killed.
According to a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office, “All the sacred rituals connected with the festival, including the pulling of the three chariots, were conducted smoothly and completed as planned. Govardhan Peethadheeshwar Jagadguru Shankaracharya also came to the chariots and offered prayers. The state government made comprehensive and multi-layered arrangements for the successful conduct of the festival.”
The state government said that detailed preparations were carried out well in advance, with coordinated planning involving all key departments, including Police, Health, Fire Services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Transport, Municipal Administration, Public Health Engineering, Energy and other concerned agencies.
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The Odisha government said that amid the unprecedented turnout of devotees and persistent rainfall, several cases of fatigue, dehydration, breathing difficulties and minor health issues were reported during the festival.
“During the course of the festival, seven persons felt unwell and were immediately evacuated by the deployed personnel and shifted to the hospital without delay. Among them, one male devotee aged above 60 years unfortunately succumbed, and the exact cause of death is being ascertained by the concerned authorities,” the government said.
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The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) added that in a separate and unrelated incident, another male devotee aged above 35 suffered a cardiac arrest and died despite receiving immediate medical assistance.
The statement added, “The overall conduct of the festival remained peaceful, orderly and well managed. There was no incident of stampede or any systemic breakdown of crowd management.”
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