116 people, including children, killed in stampede at religious event in Uttar Pradesh
A woman attending the ‘satsang’ said the event was held to honour a local guru
At least 116 people, including women and three children, were killed in a stampede at a religious event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras on Tuesday, officials said.
The stampede took place during a ‘satsang’ (prayer meeting) attended by hundreds of people. Images from the community health centre showed several bodies being brought in buses and tempos while their relatives wept.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the incident and on his direction a committee has been set up to probe the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Draupadi Murmu also expressed their condolences to the families of those killed and said they were praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Prime Minister Modi said the Centre was extending all possible help to the Uttar Pradesh government.
Hathras District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said that according to the data received from the Community Health Centre, 50-60 people have died. Officials in Etah district have confirmed the death of 27 more people. Later in the evening, Inspector General of Police (Aligarh Range) Shalabh Mathur said that the death toll has risen to 116.
