India, Oct. 17 -- Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata turned tragic on Saturday after a stampede-like situation left at least 18 dead, while several others are said to be injured. The incident took place at Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity puja pandal, a prominent puja in central Kolkata, during the peak hours on Saptami evening, police said.

Track live updates on Kolkata stampede

While the exact cause of the crowd crush is yet to be ascertained, eyewitnesses said that the surging crowd and rainfall worsened the situation.

"The incident took place around 7:30 pm. The crowd at the pandal was already swelling. As it started to rain more people entered the pandal. This resulted in a stampede. Several people were injured," Dipali Das, a...