STAMPEDE AT HINDU RELIGIOUS GATHERING IN NORTHERN INDIA LEAVES OVER 100 DEAD

Tue 02 July 2024:

More than 100 people have died, and over a dozen others were injured in a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, authorities said.

A large crowd had gathered on Tuesday in a village in Uttar Pradesh state’s Hathras district, about 200km (125 miles) southeast of New Delhi, for a sermon by a preacher when a fierce dust storm sparked panic as people were leaving.

Many were crushed or trampled, falling on top of each other, with some collapsing into a roadside drain in the chaos.

At least 116 people died, most of them women and children, said Prashant Kumar, the director-general of police in Uttar Pradesh. Senior police officer Shalabh Mathur confirmed the deaths and said at least 18 others were injured, AFP news agency reported.

State chief medical officer Umesh Kumar Tripathi told reporters that “many injured” have been admitted to the hospital.

The stampede occurred as attendees rushed to leave following the event with a religious leader named Bhole Baba, local media reported. Unverified videos on social media showed what appeared to be bodies piled up on the ground outside a local hospital. Al Jazeera could not immediately verify the videos.

Police officer Rajesh Singh said overcrowding may have been a factor. Initial reports suggested that over 15,000 people had gathered for the event, which had permission to host about 5,000.

People gathered outside one mortuary in the town of Etah, where many of the dead were taken, seeking news of their relatives.

One survivor, Jyoti, who goes only by her first name, told local media that the stampede happened quickly as soon as the event ended. “Everyone was in a rush to leave … There was no way out and people were falling on each other,” she said.

“When the sermon finished, everyone started running out,” Shakuntala, another woman who gave only one name, told the Press Trust of India news agency.

State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an investigation into the incident. “Instructions have been given to the concerned officials to conduct relief and rescue operations on war footing and to provide proper treatment to the injured,” he wrote on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of $2,400 to the next of kin of those who died and $600 to those injured in the “tragic incident.” “My condolences are with those who have lost their loved ones… I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi wrote on social media platform X.

President Droupadi Murmu said the deaths were “heart-rending” and offered her “deepest condolences.”

Deadly accidents are common at places of worship in India during major religious festivals, when large crowds gather in small areas with few safety measures. In 2016, at least 112 people were killed after a huge explosion caused by a banned fireworks display at a temple marking the Hindu New Year.

Another 115 devotees died in 2013 after a stampede at a bridge near a temple in Madhya Pradesh state. In 2008, at least 224 pilgrims died and more than 400 others were injured in a stampede at a hilltop temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan state.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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