At least 97 dead in stampede during religious celebration

At least 97 people died during a religious event in India known as Satsangwhere people gather to receive spiritual or yogic instruction. The director of the Etah Hospital – where the wounded were taken -, Umes Kumar Tripathihe added that “The death toll could rise“.

The reasons for the stampede are still unknown. In addition, hundreds of people must have been hospitalized for what happened.

The tragedy in India

According to local media reports, the stampede It occurred when attendees were rushing to leave an event, known as Satsang, held by the religious leader Bhole BalaA large crowd had gathered to listen to the guru and worship the Hindu deity Sheiva.

The incident occurred about 350 kilometers to the southwest of the state capital, Lucknow. “A religious event was being held in Mughalgarhi village of Hathras district when the stampede took place,” the district Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Kumar.

“We have 97 deaths confirmed so far and we are focusing on providing relief and medical assistance to the victims,” ​​he told AFP. Superintendent Chaitra V., from the city of Aligarhin the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is feared that the number of victims could be higher after the incident. At the moment, the authorities are investigating the incident. reason for the stampede.

A recurring tragedy

The avalanches and stampedes are a frequent phenomenon in the Indian religious celebrations. This is due to the combination of mass gatherings with poor management and insufficient infrastructure.

On October 13, 2013, a stampede during the Hindu festival known as Dussehra, celebrated in the state of Madhya Pradeshin central India, caused at least 115 deathsof which at least 33 were under 14 years old. The incident had been caused by rumours that the bridge – where people were walking – was point of collapse.

Madhya Pradesh.webp

The same bridge had already been the scene of another tragedy.

Reuters

Further back in time, in 2006that same bridge had already been scene of a similar tragedy where 50 people diedThe most recent case was when at least 85 victims lost their lives in a human avalanche that happened in the morning in the vicinity of the Ratangarh Templelocated in the Datia district.