Puri, June 29 (UNI) At least three devotees died and several others injured in a stampede near the Gundicha temple (aunt’s temple of Lord Jagannath) in Puri during wee hours on Sunday, police said

The mishap took place at around 4.20 am in front of three chariots of Lord Jagannath and his His siblings—Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.

Poor crowd management and inadequate police deployment resulted in the tragic mishap.

There was no presence of police or security forces anywhere near the chariots as the crowd surged to catch a glimpse of the deities during morning hours.

It was some local youths who tried to control the crowd and saved several people from getting stuck in the stampede, said eyewitnesses.

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