12 dead in stampede at popular Hindu shrine in India's Kashmir

This frame grab from an NNIS video taken on Saturday, Jan 1, 2022 shows a packed crowd of devotees at the Vaishno Devi shrine, one of the country's most revered Hindu sites, near Katra town in Jammu and Kashmir union territory. At least 12 people died and 13 were injured in a stampede at a religious shrine in India in the early hours of January 1, 2022 as thousands of pilgrims massed to offer prayers, officials said. - AFP

SRINAGAR, India (AP): A stampede at a popular Hindu shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 12 people and injured 13 others on New Year’s Day, officials said.

An investigation has been ordered into what caused the stampede early Saturday at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine, where thousands of Hindu devotees were gathered to pay their respect in the hilly town of Katra near southern Jammu city.