Team Herald
PANJIM: A day after the tragic stampede at the Shree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao, which claimed six lives and left several others injured, the residents of Podocem recounted the horrific experiences of the incident.
Pravin Naik said, “The initial two lines of devotees expanded to six, causing the crowd to swell. Due to the slope of the terrain, devotees struggled to maintain their footing and began to fall.”
He described a sudden surge from behind, which led to people collapsing on the ground, with those at the front of the lines suffering the most.
Naik said, “Surya Nayekar and his son Pandurang Nayekar were caught in the rush and, despite trying to escape, were unable to until someone pulled Pandurang to safety.”
Sandip Gaonkar, another resident, who was near the site of the stampede, said, “I was unable to join the lines, I sat down.”
Gaonkar said, “Soon I saw people running. Initially fearing a fight, I went to investigate and, after not being able to find my companions, I saw Surya.”
Gaonkar said, “I checked Surya’s pulse and, feeling panicked, eventually helped get him into an ambulance to Mapusa. By the time I reached the main area, the crowd had thinned, and some bodies were still on the ground.”
Vishranti Gaonkar said, “The administration should not have permitted so many stalls along the road and that the electricity connections should have been properly inspected.”
Upon hearing about the incident, Archita Gaonkar said, “I rushed to the scene and saw police officers trying to move the bodies. The stalls lining the road clearly restricted the space available for people to move.”