Story in numbers: Stampedes make life cheap in India

A stampede during a religious procession on the Rajghat bridge in Uttar Pradesh left 25 people dead, including 20 women

On October 15, a stampede during a religious procession on the Rajghat bridge between Varanasi and Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh left 25 people dead, including 20 women. In July last year, about 27 people died in a stampede in Andhra Pradesh during the Godavari Pushkaralu, a festival where the river is worshiped and devotees take a dip in it.

The highest number of incidents occurred in 2009 (1,532), while the highest number of lives were lost in 2011 (489). The least number of deaths was in 2006 (18).

In 2011, about 100 people each lost their lives in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The average number of deaths per year in the past seven years (2008-14) is almost three times the average number in the first seven years (2001-07).

Source: National Crime Records Bureau and IndiaSpend