'Very distressed': President Kovind condoles deaths of devotees at Mata Vaishno Devi temple stampede

President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday condoled the loss of lives in the stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi Bhavan shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Katra in which at least 12 people were killed early this morning.

"Very distressed to know that an unfortunate stampede claimed lives of devotees at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhavan. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery to those injured," tweeted President Kovind.

"A total of 12 people were killed and 13 others injured in a stampede at the shrine atop Trikuta hills early this morning. The stampede was triggered by a heavy rush of devotees on New Year's Day. The yatra (pilgrimage) to the holy shrine has been suspended after the incident," said Dilbagh Singh, chief, Jammu and Kashmir Police.

The injured have been admitted to various hospitals, including Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, and the condition of many of the injured was stated to be "serious".

The cave shrine is situated at an altitude of 5,200 feet in the Reasi district and generally attracts close to a million devotees every year.

The operations of the pilgrimage site are managed by the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which provides battery car and ropeway services to the pilgrims to reach the top of Trikuta hills for darshan.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir LG announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of those who died and Rs 2 lakh for the injured.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief at the incident and announced an ex-gratia for the families of those killed.

An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from Prime Minister National Relief Fund would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.

(ANI)