KOLKATA: A day after Bihar boat accident which claimed 24 lives, six devotees have lost their lives in stampede in Kochuberia jetty during Gangasagar fair in West Bengal on Sunday. The death toll is likely to rise as more than dozens were seriously injured in an incident.

The stampede occurred around 5pm at jetty number 5 of Kachuberia ghats when the devotees were trying to board a launch at ghats. Three of the 6 devotees who have died at Gangasagar are from Uttar Pradesh. The state government announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the stampede victims.

On Saturday, at least 16 lakh pilgrims took the holy dip at Gangasagar on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and offered puja at the Kapil Muni temple.

Six years ago, seven pilgrims were killed and nine injured, four of them seriously, when a similar stampede broke out at the Gangasagar mela.

In 2010, around four lakh pilgrims had gathered to take a holy dip at the confluence of Ganga and the Bay of Bengal in Gangasagar islands on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti' when the stampede took place.

Lakhs of pilgrims gather at Gangasagar every year on Makar Sankranti to take a holy dip in the Ganges before it merges with the Bay of Bengal.

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