Three devotees, including a woman, died due to overcrowding while climbing the hill at Chandranath Dham in Sitakunda during the Shib Chaturdashi fair on Wednesday.
The two identified victims were Bantu Das, 50, and Mantu Das, 43. The identity of the woman, approximately 55 years old, has not been determined yet.
Sitakunda Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mujibur Rahman confirmed the deaths of the three devotees and said that the victims might have died due to the heavy crowd and heat at the fair.
Md. Saidul Islam, station officer at Sitakunda Fire Service, said they recovered the bodies upon receiving the information.
According to the fair committee, the three-day Shib Chaturdashi Fair began on Tuesday and will continue until Thursday morning.
Around 10 to 12 lakh pilgrims gather at Chandranath Dham during the fair, with the number of attendees gradually increasing since Tuesday evening. By Wednesday morning, the entire Chandranath Dham area had become overcrowded with devotees.
Meanwhile, special security arrangements have been made by the army, RAB, police, fire service and various intelligence agencies to ensure the safety of pilgrims and allow them to visit the shrine and perform puja without any issues.
