At Least 107 People Killed In Stampede at Religious Event
A stampede has killed at least 107 people at a religious event on Tuesday. Most of the deaths are reportedly woman and at least three children. Some reports indicate that the death toll could be higher. This occurred at a religious event being held in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras at the Phulrai village in northern India. It was a sastang prayer meeting which is attended by hundreds of people. An unknown amount of people have been taken to the community health center for treatment of injuries. Some other injured were taken to hospitals.
The event was for a prayer service to honor a local, Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Har. When the crowd began to leave, they were stopped and was told to not leave until the car of Narayan Saakar Har had left. Witnesses advise that this caused a large crowd to build up in a compressed area. The stampede then broke out causing chaos. However, government official said they are still investigating to determine the exact cause of the incident and how it could have been prevented.
Reports from people at the event say it was hot and humid and everyone was feeling trapped by the large crowd being stopped from leaving and stuck in a small area. Many residents would like to know what the sub-divisional magistrate could have done to prevent the stampede and would like future events to be better organized.
The sub-divisional magistrate gave permission for the event. The government provided security however the event organizers was supposed to make other arrangements.
