Sweltering Heat and Overcrowding Mar Puri's Rath Yatra

On Friday, the annual Rath Yatra in Puri witnessed alarming numbers of health-related incidents as nearly 625 attendees fell ill due to extreme heat conditions exacerbated by overcrowding.

Puri Chief District Medical Officer, Dr. Kishore Satapathy, confirmed reports of minor injuries, fainting spells, and cases of vomiting attributable to the dense congregation of devotees.

Despite the adverse conditions, no casualties were reported. However, around 70 people are receiving treatment at the District Headquarters Hospital, with nine reported critically ill. Lengthy halts of chariots in the Balagandi area further escalated the distressing situation, causing injuries during crowd dispersal attempts.

(With inputs from agencies.)