New Delhi: Two people died and several were injured during the annual Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, on Thursday, July 16. Devotees had gathered in large numbers for the chariot procession of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra by the lakhs when a “stampede-like” situation occurred, said reports.At least 100 people were reportedly injured in the incident, which may have occurred as an ambulance tried to pass through the overcrowded area. The exact cause of the incident has not yet been officially established. News 18 reported over 200 being taken to hospital.Officials and the Chief Minister of Odisha Mohan Charan Majhi have denied there was a stampede. The Times of India reports an official as saying that the “overall situation in Puri” remained normal.Meanwhile, the chief minister’s office reportedly said in a statement that the death of the two devotees was not due to a stampede. They were described as a result of cardiac arrests unrelated to crowd management.“Many other devotees who developed rain-related ailments were treated at hospitals and discharged after receiving medical care,” it added. The statement reportedly described fatigue, dehydration and suffocation as “rain-related ailments”.It also said seven devotees who fell ill were immediately shifted to hospitals by emergency response teams.One of the deceased was identified as 35-year-old Anil Dash, while the identity of the second person is unconfirmed. Odisha health minister Mahesh Mahaling told PTI the unidentified person died due to cardiac arrest following suffocation despite receiving primary care. He said minor injuries are par for the course during the Rath Yatra because of the large crowds it draws.Around 100 people were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Puri, where they received treatment, said India Today. Fifty people were admitted.Meanwhile social media posts from Thursday evening onwards showed a disturbing picture of the developments amidst Puri’s festivities.I’m a devoted follower of Lord Jagannath and have been attending and closely following the Rath Yatra for nearly two decades. I’ve just returned from this year’s Yatra, and I can honestly say I’ve never witnessed conditions like these before.Relentless rain coupled with… pic.twitter.com/GVOEQpoIrp— Sincere Dibya (@TheSincereDude) July 16, 2026ओडिशा: जगन्नाथ रथयात्रा के दौरान भगदड़, 1 की मौत, 100 से ज़्यादा घायल.Jagannath Rath Yatra Stampede | #LordJagannathRathYatra pic.twitter.com/NZ3iegiRK4— News Pinch (@TheNewspinch) July 16, 2026The chief minister also posted photographs of the large crowd gathering amidst high seasonal rainfall with security personnel appearing to be vastly outnumbered. “The great ocean of emotion, devotion, and faith,” Majhi wrote in a post on X on the afternoon of July 16. Majhi has been actively promoting the religious event, historically known to attract large crowds.A police officer and a few security personnel seen managing a crowd of devotees at Puri during the Rath Yatra on July 16, 2026. Photo: @MohanMOdisha/XAccording to PTI, emergency rescue teams and security personnel evacuated several people on stretchers and provided medical assistance. The agency also reported on crowds swelling at the main sites of the ceremony on Thursday evening. It said one had died and “many” fell ill in a “temporary crowd surge”.Reacting to the incident, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is from Odisha, wrote on X, “I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life during the holy Rath Yatra. Along with praying for the eternal peace of the departed souls, I extend my condolences to the bereaved families. May Lord Sri Jagannath endow the affected families with infinite patience and strength. I also pray for the swift recovery of the devotees who are unwell.”Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief and urged the state government to ensure the safety and convenience of devotees through proper crowd management. “In this hour of grief, all workers of the Biju Janata Dal will extend their full cooperation to provide assistance to everyone. I hope that the state government will ensure the convenience and safety of the devotees by properly managing the crowds,” he wrote on X.As per PTI, Patnaik’s party workers later visited the injured in hospital.The 2026 “crowd surge” comes a year after a fatal stampede during the 2025 Rath Yatra, in which three devotees were killed and more than 50 were injured. Last year, crowd mismanagement, infrastructure lapses and logistical disruptions were blamed for the stampede. An inquiry had concluded that the city’s Integrated Command and Control Centre, an AI-based surveillance system to monitor crowd movement and traffic through CCTV and drone feeds had malfunctioned.An inquiry committee had recommended blacklisting the operator managing the surveillance network and disciplinary action initiated against officials responsible for its oversight.