VOA标准英语2010年-Stampede Kills 7 at Hindu Festival in

Officials in West Bengal state say the tragedy occurred early Thursday, when hundreds of devotees scrambled¹ to take the first boat service to Sagar Island - the venue² for a Hindu religious festival known as the Gangasagar Mela.

Anjana Pasricha | New Delhi 14 January 2010

Hindu devotees gather for a holy dip at 'Sangam,' the confluence³ of rivers Ganges and Yamuna on Makar Sankranti festival in Allahabad, India, 14 Jan 2010

In eastern India, seven Hindu pilgrims have been killed and 20 others injured in a stampede at a religious festival. At a separate venue in northern India, a three-month religious festival - billed as the world's largest religious gathering⁴ - has begun.

Officials in West Bengal state in the east say the tragedy occurred early Thursday, when hundreds of devotees scrambled to take the first boat service to Sagar Island - the venue for a Hindu religious festival known as the Gangasagar Mela.

They were heading to the island to take a dip in the Ganges River, considered sacred by Hindus.

West Bengal Police Inspector⁵ General Surojit Kar Purokayastha told VOA that a huge crowd had piled up after the ferry service to the island was suspended for some time, because of low tide.

"People had gathered on this side of the river.  When the low tide was over and the launches started plying⁶, there was a sudden rush of pilgrims towards the launches," he said.

Purokayastha says the stampede occurred after some pilgrims tripped and fell.  He says most of the victims were women.

"Out of seven, six were old women, out of which three are more than 70," he said.

Many devotees believe that an early-morning bath is more auspicious⁷ and start lining⁸ up before sunrise to take their turn.

Hindus believe that a dip in the Ganges River washes away all sins.  The river flows from the Himalayas into the Bay of Bengal in the east.  And, bathing rituals are held at several points along the route of the river for Hindu pilgrims at this time of the year.

The biggest festival is the Kumbh Mela, which got underway on Thursday in the northern city, Haridwar. It is a massive religious gathering held every three years and attracts several million people during the 12 weeks that it is held.

A top official organizing the religious event, Chandra Shekhar Bhatt, says they have geared up for the massive numbers expected at this year's festival.

Bhatt says they have made elaborate arrangements and are prepared to deal with as many pilgrims as decide to come.

Despite the cold temperatures prevailing⁹ in northern India, hundreds of thousands of devotees turned up for a dip in the river on Thursday, which marks one of four particularly auspicious bathing dates in the Hindu calendar.
 

1 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

3 confluence   

n.汇合，聚集

参考例句：

• They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.他们建造了城市的汇合两条河流。
• The whole DV movements actually was a confluence of several trends.整个当时的DV运动，实际上是几股潮流的同谋。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

6 plying   

v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was rather Mrs. Wang who led the conversation, plying Miss Liu with questions. 倒是汪太太谈锋甚健，向刘小姐问长问短。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

7 auspicious   

adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的

参考例句：

• The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
• With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。

8 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

9 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。