Two people were killed and over 30 were injured in a stampede at Avsaaneshwar temple in Barabanki after a live electric wire, broken by monkeys, fell onto a tin shed early on Monday (July 28, 2025) morning.

The incident occurred during the holy month of Shravan on Monday when devotees had gathered at the temple for ‘jalabhishek’ (offering water as a ritual). The electric current spread through the tin shed as the wire fell, triggering panic and a stampede in the temple premises.

The deceased include Prashant, 22, hailing from the Mubarakpura village under the Lonikatra police station area. The injured are undergoing treatment at the Trivediganj Community Health Centre (CHC), officials said.

“During the jalabhishek ritual, monkeys had damaged an electric wire, which caused current to flow through three tin sheds in the temple complex.

The resulting panic led to a stampede in which two people lost their lives and more than two dozen were injured,” said Shashank Tripathi, District Magistrate (DM) Barabanki.

This comes a day after eight people were killed in a stampede that broke out during a rush of pilgrims along a stair route leading to the Mansa Devi temple on a hilltop in Haridwar. Rumours of an electric current where the stairs begin triggered panic among people, leading to the stampede, according to the police.