At least 116 people killed in crush at religious gathering in India

At least 116 people were crushed to death at a religious gathering in northern India on Tuesday, authorities said, with fears the death toll could increase.

About 100 others were injured as thousands of devotees gathered to hear a popular Hindu religious preacher Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as Bhole Baba in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, about 200km south of the capital New Delhi.

“We have confirmed a number of 116 people dead," Chaitra V, Divisional Commissioner of the region, told The National.

RK Bajpai, the fire and emergency head in Hathras, said the affected people were evacuated from the spot to hospitals in three nearby districts,

“The situation is very grim," Mr Bajpai told The National.

The chief medical officer of the neighbouring Etah district told The National that 27 bodies had been brought to the government hospital along with scores of injured people.

“We are treating several people at our facility,” he said.

Media reports said more than 5,000 people had gathered for the event under a makeshift tent in an open field, with a single exit.

Videos broadcast on TV channels and social media showed dozens of bodies of women and children strewn in the hospital compound as locals and relatives helped the injured in for treatment in pick-up trucks and on private buses.

Most of the victims are said to be women and children.

Some media reports quoting witnesses suggested the incident occurred after a group of female followers suddenly tried to leave the venue following the preacher ending his sermon, triggering a fatal crush at the narrow exit.

One of the survivors told local media from her hospital bed that people were in a hurry to leave the tent from the narrow exit but “fell on each other”.

“There were motorcycles parked outside which blocked the way out. Many people fainted … others died."

Top district official Ashish Kumar said it was a private event, with permission given by authorities and security arrangements in place.

Ms Chaitra V claimed the incident was triggered after some people rushed to drink water due to extreme humidity inside.

“It was hot and humid. Many people were trying to rush to have drinking water but there was mud and many people fell and got trapped,” she said.

Angry relatives accused the administration of a slow response that delayed the evacuation process of the injured to the hospital.

“The incident occurred an hour ago but there is no doctor, no one to look after the injured. So many people have died. It is a failure of the administration,” a bereaved family member told local media.

State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences and said the cause of the incident would be investigated.

Officials had been instructed to “conduct relief and rescue operations on [a] war footing and to provide proper treatment to the injured”, Mr Adityanath said on X.

He has also announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,400) each to the family of the deceased and 50,000 rupees ($600) for relatives of those injured.

India has a grim record of crowd management and such accidents are common across the country, including at religious events.

At least 115 devotees were killed in 2013 during a crush at a temple in Madhya Pradesh.

At least 224 pilgrims were killed in 2008 in a stampede at a hilltop temple in western Rajasthan, with more than 400 injured, in one of the deadliest accidents in the country.