![At least 107 crushed to death in India religious gathering](uploads/2024/07/02/1719938500.08.jpg)
At least 107 people were crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, with several more injured and fears the toll could rise.
Hindustan Times said the incident took place when a religious preacher was addressing his followers at a specially laid tent in the Rati Bhanpur village in the Sikandra Rau area of Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
According to the police, prima facie, it appears that suffocation at the venue led to discomfort among the people attending the event titled ‘Satsang’.
“Following this, the people started running, causing a stampede. It was very hot and humid during the event,” the news outlet said citing the police.
According to one of the survivors, the stampede took place when the religious event ended, and everyone was rushing to leave the place.
“There was a huge crowd gathered of followers at the spot. There was no way out, and everybody fell on each other, and a stampede took place. When I tried to move out, there were motorcycles parked outside, which blocked my way. Many fainted while others died,” a victim, who was admitted to a nearby hospital, said.
The exact cause of the incident is being investigated.
At least 112 people were killed in 2016 after a huge explosion caused by a banned fireworks display at a temple marking the Hindu new year.
The blast ripped through concrete buildings and ignited a fire at a temple complex in Kerala state, where thousands had gathered.
Another 115 devotees died in 2013 after a stampede at a bridge near a temple in Madhya Pradesh.
Up to 400,000 people were gathered in the area, and the stampede occurred after a rumour spread that the bridge was about to collapse.
About 224 pilgrims died and more than 400 others were injured in a 2008 stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.
MSH