Kolkata Durga Puja Crush Kills 19, Injures 25

A crowd crush at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata killed 19 people and injured 25, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said. The site was closed after the incident, and authorities announced investigations into how it happened and whether crowd-control failures contributed. Kolkata Police said the crush occurred at about 7:40 p.m. on October 17 near the pandal’s exit gate, amid heavy crowding and rain. Injured people were taken to hospitals, including Kolkata Medical College and Hospital. Police, fire brigade and disaster management personnel responded, according to the police statement. Accounts described people gathering at the venue as rain began, but the precise sequence leading to the crush has not been established. Reports have mentioned people seeking shelter, crowd movement and an announcement about a possible structural collapse. Whether part of the pandal structure fell remains disputed, and no investigation findings have been reported. Officials have not established a cause or assigned responsibility. Adhikari announced a special investigation team to examine the incident, saying it would be led by a sitting judge of the Calcutta...