India temple stampede in Bihar kills 7

A stampede at the Ashok Dham temple in Lakhisarai district, Bihar, India, killed at least seven people and injured more than a dozen others on August 17, 2026, as crowds of devotees gathered during the Hindu holy month of Shravan. Authorities gave differing initial accounts of the trigger, with a police officer citing a fallen electric pole and the district magistrate citing a broken barricade, and officials said a probe was underway. At least 19 injured people were being treated in hospital, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary both expressed condolences to the bereaved families. It was the second deadly stampede at a Bihar temple this year, after nine people were killed in a similar incident at a temple in Nalanda district in March.