Kolkata, Oct. 17 -- Eyewitnesses to the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata recounted how continuous rainfall and an excessive crowd contributed to the chaos, as devotees reportedly rushed to seek shelter from the rain.

Speaking to ANI, eyewitness Vinay Kumar said that despite the police administration being present at the site, the crowd became difficult to manage amid the sudden rush.

"This tragic incident occurred due to continuous rainfall. There was an excessive crowd here, and they did not want to get out in the rain. The police administration was fully functional, but the crowd could not be handled," he said.

Another eyewitness, Uttam, described the immediate response following the incident, stating...