MUMBAI: At least 18 people were killed in a stampede that broke out in the early hours of Saturday near the Malabar Hill residence of Dawoodi Bohra spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, who died on Friday morning, officials said.
According to the Mumbai Police and officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control, the stampede took place at around 1.30 am when thousands of mourners assembled near Saifee Mahal, where the Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s body was kept for people to pay their last respects.
The Mumbai Police said today that several people in the crowd fell over each other, and most of the deaths were due to suffocation. Officials said at least 17 bodies were taken to Saifee Hospital and one to Cumballa Hill Hospital.
Around 20 people, who suffered injuries, were treated and discharged, while another three have been admitted for treatment, officials in the BMC Disaster Control said.
The Mumbai traffic control has issued an advisory asking people to avoid areas near Sahyadri Guest House, Teen Patti Junction, Bandstand of Walkeshwar, Sukhsagar, Opera House, Saifee Masjid. Lakhs of people are expected to gather for Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s funeral which will take place at south Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazaar later today.
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community, died after a cardiac arrest on Friday. He was 102.
