Bhubaneswar: At least 17 people were killed in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday.

Around 35 others were also injured in the incident that took place in North Kolkata in the evening.

As per reports, hundreds of people congregated outside the pandal at Chorbagan around 7.40 pm.

As it started raining, the people waiting outside the pandal rushed forward and some of them fell on the road, leading to the stampede.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Praying for the swift recovery of the injured,” said West Bengal Governor RN Ravi in a social media post. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

“The stampede in Kolkata is extremely distressing. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected,” said the Prime Minister in a social media post.

The authorities in Kolkata, meanwhile, have opened a control room at Lalbazar and issued two helpline numbers-- 18003455678 and 03322141310.