India Temple Killer

I love Sunday sleep-overs so much! I usually spend the night with a special someone watching cable TV all night till the wee hours in the morning. I don't have cable TV at home and I'm trying to enjoy this internet connection as you do right now. The first channel that I usually check is either BBC or CNN. I love news so much! National Geographic and Discovery Channel runs second followed by either Lifestyle Network or Travel and Living. The rest will fill the gaps during commercial break. Last night was BBC. Hilda (my review coordinator mentioned earlier), suggested to listen and watch British films, news and programs to get use to their accent. I reckon I never had a hard time listening to their tautologous manner of talking. The word 'tautologous' means "saying the same thing twice." For instance, 'I always wanted to ride the double-decker bus. The lorry's second floor may or may not have a roof.' Lorry actually means a bus or a truck.

Well, anyway, the first headline that flashed on the screen last Sunday was about the India Temple stampede that killed nearly 150 devotees which includes children and old folks. It was said that a landslide rumor caused the sudden panic of the devotees on the hilltop trampling the innocent victims down hill. My zeal of searching information was so intense and I've found in the internet a list of the deadliest stampedes ever recorded in history. It's pity to know that India has two entries in the list the most recent was last Aug. the 3rd. The deadliest was from Saudi Arabia in 2006 that killed 364 devotees during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Here is the list recorded by BBC. I have arranged this according to the number of casualties.

2 July 1990, Saudi Arabia: Some 1,426 pilgrims, mainly Asian, die in a huge crush in a tunnel leading to Mecca's holy sites.

The authorities say most died of asphyxiation after the tunnel's ventilation system broke down.

31 August 2005, Baghdad, Iraq: Up to 1,000 Shia pilgrims are trampled to death or drown in the Tigris river after rumours of a suicide bombing sparked panic. Many of the dead are women and children.

12 January 2006, Mina, Saudi Arabia: At least 364 die in a crush during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Officials say the stampede happened after pieces of luggage spilled from moving buses in front of one of the entrances to the bridge of Jamarat, causing pilgrims to trip.

25 January 2005, Maharashtra state, India: Up to 300 Hindu pilgrims die in a stampede during a Hindu pilgrimage to the remote Mandhar Devi temple.

Many pilgrims are crushed and burned to death as fires in roadside stalls force crowds into a narrow stairway leading to the hilltop temple.

1 February 2004, Mina, Saudi Arabia: Some 251 pilgrims are trampled to death in a 27-minute stampede during the Hajj.

Officials say many of the victims were not authorised to participate in the Stoning of Satan ritual, after new procedures were introduced following previous stampedes.

3 August 2008, Himachal Pradesh state, India: 9-day festival killed 150 devotees from landslide rumors downhill of a temple.

9 May 2001, Accra, Ghana: Some 126 die in a stampede following a football match.

The tragedy takes place at the Accra Sports Stadium during the match between rival teams Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.

The Ghanaian police are blamed by many survivors for causing the stampede by firing tear gas in the packed and locked stadium, after angry demonstrations by fans of the losing side.

9 April 1998, Mina, Saudi Arabia: At least 118 pilgrims die and more than 180 are hurt during the Stoning of Satan ritual. The pilgrims, mostly from Indonesia and Malaysia, are trampled to death after panic erupts when several people fall off an overpass.

15 April 1989, Sheffield, England: Some 96 Liverpool supporters are crushed to death during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

Police had opened the doors at one entrance to Hillsborough Stadium to allow about 2,000 people without tickets to enter the stadium, crushing others in the stands.

This is between Man and his God. Man is vulnerable in many ways. With a strike of lightning, he dies. Man's destiny is to die no matter how intense his religious fervor is. We can't blame religion for this because man dies trying to reach a level divinity and sanctity. A prayer offering for the survivors and families of the victims will help.
The image above is not the actual temple.