Over 100 Dead in Stampede at Indian Religious Event... Majority Women

Occurred at exit direction immediately after religious event
Similar incidents happened in 2011 and 2013

A tragic stampede occurred at a religious event in India, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people. On the 2nd (local time), local media including the Hindustan Times reported that a stampede happened as participants hurriedly left a Hindu worship site in a village in the Hathras area of Uttar Pradesh, India, after the event ended. Local police stated that thousands of participants had gathered inside the hot and humid event tent, and some participants who were suffocating rushed to exit quickly after the event, causing the accident.

A tragic stampede occurred at a religious event in India, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people. On the 2nd (local time), local media including the Hindustan Times reported that a stampede happened as participants hurried to leave after the event at a Hindu worship site in a village in the Hathras area of Uttar Pradesh, India.
[Photo by AP·Yonhap News]

The police received initial reports that about 15,000 people attended the event, which was three times the approximately 5,000 participants authorized by the organizers. They said that the excessive number of attendees may have been one of the causes of the accident. As the death toll continues to rise, an accurate count is expected to be released later. Reuters, UPI, and other outlets reported that at least 116 people lost their lives. Most of the deceased were women, and some children were also among the victims.

Reuters reported that many bodies were placed behind trucks, and bags and mobile phones covered in dust were piled up inside the event site, based on obtained footage. AP reported that as bodies covered with white sheets on stretchers lined up at a local hospital compound, relatives mourned and wept in grief.

Regarding the accident, an Indian member of parliament criticized the state and federal governments for failing to manage large crowds, warning that if authorities do not take safety regulations and guidelines very seriously, people will continue to die. The state government immediately formed an investigation committee after receiving news of the accident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the bereaved families and the injured and announced plans to provide compensation.

This is not the first time a stampede has occurred at a religious event in India. In 2013, at least 115 pilgrims died in Madhya Pradesh in central India when they rushed to leave a bridge due to fears of collapse during a Hindu festival. In 2011, over 100 people lost their lives in a stampede during a religious festival in Kerala in southern India.