Reuters
Crowds gather outside the emergency ward of a hospital in Etah.
New Delhi
CNN
—
More than 100 people were killed Tuesday in a stampede at a religious gathering in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, local police and administration officials said.
The incident occurred during a prayer meeting, known as satsang, in Mughal Garhi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, authorities said. The village in India’s most populous state is about 200 kilometres (125 miles) southeast of the capital, New Delhi.
Among the 116 dead were 108 women and seven children, state Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh told reporters. About 72 people have been identified so far, he added. At least 18 people were injured.
Local authorities suggested overcrowding was the cause of the crush, which saw people fall into a sewer.
Singh told reporters that organizers of Tuesday’s rally had filed an application stating that “some 80,000 people” were expected to attend. However, “many more people than expected” showed up.
The deadly scenes occurred after the event was over, when a large number of people went to “touch the feet (of the religious figure) or pick up soil from the venue,” according to local tradition. People then started falling into a nearby open drain. “People started falling into the drain and crushing each other,” Singh said.
He accused the organizers of failing to adhere to a list of requirements set by the district. A high-level investigation has been launched to probe the circumstances surrounding the incident and a police report will be filed against the event organizers for allegedly exceeding the permitted number of participants, according to local authorities.
“There was a serious mistake on the part of the organizers. They will be severely punished,” he said.
Survivors recounted the horrific events that followed. “People started falling on top of each other. Those who were crushed died. People on the spot pulled them out,” Shakuntala Devi told the Press Trust of India news agency, according to the Associated Press.
The bodies of at least 27 of the dead have been taken to the morgue in Etah district, according to Inspector General Shalabh Mathur of neighbouring Ambala Range district, while the rest of the bodies are in Hathras, he said.
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Efforts are on to provide medical treatment to the injured and arrangements are being made for post-mortem examinations at various places, Inspector General Mathur added.
A video released by Reuters shows a crowd gathered outside a local hospital in Etah, where grieving families mourn the victims. Medical staff can be seen carrying people on stretchers.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a speech to the lower house of India’s bicameral parliament, known as the Lok Sabha.
Modi said the government was engaged in “relief and rescue operations” and was coordinating efforts with the state government. “The victims will be provided help in every possible way,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Hathras district magistrate Ashish Kumar said the riot occurred when people were leaving the event, which was organised to celebrate Hindu deity Shiva.
The district magistrate said police had given permission for the private event and officials were “responsible for maintaining public order and security” but arrangements inside were handled by the organisers.
An investigation into the incident will be conducted by a newly formed high-level committee, he added.
A New Year’s stampede in January 2022 at one of India’s holiest shrines in the northern city of Jammu left at least a dozen people dead.
This story has been updated with additional information.
