Kolkata, October 17, 2026 – Pandal collapses during Durga Puja in Kolkata A major tragedy has occurred during the festival of Durga Puja in Kolkata, West Bengal. On the evening of Saptami, a part of the Chorbagan public puja pandal collapsed and fell down, due to which a chaos like situation was created there. During this period, at least 18 devotees have lost their lives and 35 others have been injured in the preliminary report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had expressed shock over the incident. PM Modi has announced immediate assistance of Rs 2-2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50-50 thousand for the injured. On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari is also keeping a watchful eye.
According to preliminary reports, so far 18 people have died in this accident and about 35 people have been injured.. Many people have suffered serious injuries due to the gate collapsing.. After this accident, the Chief Minister of West Bengal reached the hospital to meet the injured and has given instructions to ensure proper treatment of the injured..
The stampede in Kolkata is saddening. Condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2026
The injured have been admitted to Kolkata Medical College Hospital.. To deal with this disaster, police and disaster management department officials immediately reached the spot.. The West Bengal government has also issued a toll-free helpline number 18003455678 to get information related to this accident..
The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would have been given Rs. 50,000.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 17, 2026
According to the people who witnessed the incident, after some rain in the evening, a scuffle started among the devotees to escape from the rain in the pandal, due to which this terrible tragedy occurred.. According to another eyewitness, many people became unconscious and were taken to Besadi hospital on a motorcycle..
Just received the very sad news of the stampede that took place at the public Durga Puja pandal in Chorbagan, Kolkata. Talked to Chief Minister Shri Shubhendu Adhikari in this regard. I pray for the peace of the souls of the devotees who lost their lives in this accident and express my condolences to the family members. The administration is providing all possible medical facilities to the injured.
I will postpone all my programs in West Bengal tomorrow and go to the hospital to meet the injured. I pray to Mother Durga for the speedy recovery of all the injured.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 17, 2026
#WATCH | North Kolkata, West Bengal | An eyewitness says, “Many people lost consciousness; some were being taken on motorcycles. I witnessed this happening all around—when people fainted, they were taken away on bikes. All of this took place, and there was a massive crowd as well…”
— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2026