Altercation among young boys led to stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine

A minor altercation among some young boys led to the stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in which 12 people "unfortunately" died, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said on Saturday.

Talking to PTI, he said the incident was very unfortunate, and police and other officials responded to the situation in no time.

Preliminary information from the scene suggests there was an altercation among some young boys, and within seconds, there was a stampede situation, Singh said.

"Police and officials from the civil administration were quick to respond, and the order within the crowd was immediately restored, but by that time, the damage had been done," he said.

"Immediately the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals," the police chief said, adding that 15 people were injured.

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