At least 17 dead in crowd crush in Kolkata, India

At least 17 people died after being crushed at a Hindu religious festival in Kolkata, eastern India.

The crowd crush occurred on Saturday. Local authorities and other sources also report that 15 others were receiving hospital treatment.

Local media quoted police as saying that the crush was likely triggered when a large crowd of people waiting outside the venue began moving as it started raining.

Following the tragedy, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences and posted a message on his social media account, expressing hope that the injured will recover as soon as possible.

India has often seen crowd crushes. In September last year, more than 30 people, including children, died in a stampede at a political rally in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

XINHUA