The stampede lasted nearly 20 minutes. Prime minster Narendra Modi said he was “deeply pained at the loss of lives due to stampede at Rajahmundry” and offered condolences to the families of victims, as well as prayers for survivors. Compensation payment of one million rupees [around $21,000] had been approved for victims and the state government would bear the full medical costs of the injured. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi today expressed shock over the loss of lives. ‘Godavari ‘Pushkaram’ is a once-in-144-year event dedicated to worshipping rivers in the two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. estival participants believe a bath in the river can rid them of their sins. About 24 million people are expected to take part in the festival at varying points along the Godavari River. Deadly stampedes are fairly common during Indian religious festivals. In October 2013, a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state in central India killed more than 110 people.
