The greatest such catastrophe in over a decade occurred on Tuesday, when nearly 116 people were crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, according to government officials.
A famous preacher had drawn a sizable crowd to his lecture outside of Hathras, but as the congregation was dispersing, a severe dust storm caused fear.
In the confusion, several were trampled or crushed, falling on top of one another and even toppling into a roadside drain.
According to Chaitra V, divisional commissioner of Aligarh city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, “the attendees were exiting the venue when a dust storm blinded their vision, leading to a melee and the subsequent tragic incident,” she told AFP.
She continued, “We… are concentrating on giving the victims relief and medical assistance.”
According to Shalabh Mathur, a senior police officer, “more people had come than permission was asked.”
Chaitra stated that “the death toll stands at 116” and that “at least 18 others were injured” a few hours after the incident.
According to state chief medical officer Umesh Kumar Tripathi, who told reporters that “many injured” have been hospitalized, the majority of the deaths were women.
Ambulances in lines transported the wounded to medical facilities.
In the town of Etah, where many of the deceased were transferred, weeping men and women gathered outside a mortuary to inquire about the whereabouts of their loved ones.
During India’s main religious festivals, which draw millions of followers to pilgrimage destinations, deadly occurrences frequently occur at places of worship.
“Everyone started running out when the sermon finished,” Shakuntala, an anonymous woman, told the Press Trust of India news agency.
Individuals fell into a roadside drain. One after the next, they began to collapse and were crushed to death.
The next of kin of the deceased will receive $2,400 in compensation, while those injured in the “tragic incident” would receive $600, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Those who have lost a loved one have my sympathy. I hope everyone who has been hurt gets well soon,” Modi posted on social media site X.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed her “deepest condolences” and described the deaths as “heart-rending.”
bleak history
Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, likewise “expressed condolences” to the families of the deceased, according to his office.
It stated, “He has ordered the district administration officials to expedite the relief work at the scene and to take the injured to the hospital right away.” According to Adityanath’s office, an inquiry into the fatalities has been launched.
India has a terrible history of fatal accidents at religious gatherings brought on by incompetent crowd control and security breaches.
Following a massive explosion in 2016 brought on by a prohibited fireworks display at a temple celebrating the Hindu new year, at least 112 persons lost their lives.
Thousands of people had gathering at a temple complex in Kerala state when the explosion tore through concrete buildings and started a fire.
A stampede at a bridge close to a Madhya Pradesh temple in 2013 claimed the lives of an additional 115 worshippers.
There were as many as 400,000 people present when the rush started due to a rumor that the bridge was going to fall.
In 2008, a stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur resulted in 224 pilgrim deaths and over 400 injuries.
