MATHURA: Two people died of suffocation during Janmashtami celebrations on Friday at the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura.

The temple was overcrowded as devotees flocked to the temple to celebrate the festival.

The deceased have been identified as Nirmala Devi and Ram Prasad Vishwakarma, Mathura police said.

During Mangala Aarti, another devotee collapsed and fainted at the exit gate of the temple which resulted in the restricted movements of the devotees.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Devotees crammed inside Banke Bihari temple premises in Mathura as their movement got restricted amid a huge crowd that gathered there pic.twitter.com/0QIbWYLOKI

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 20, 2022

“During Mangla Arti at Banke Bihari in Mathura, one devotee fainted at the exit gate of the temple due to which movement of devotees was restricted. As there was a huge crowd, many inside the premises suffocated. Two people lost their lives,” said Senior Superintendent of Police, Mathura.

Several people sustained injuries and were shifted to the hospital.