After sermon - At least 107 people die in mass panic in India
At least 107 people, mostly women and children, have died in the northern part of India according to the regional administration due to a mass panic following a religious event. Thousands of people had reportedly gathered for prayers and a sermon. The gathering was organized by a local guru in a tent near a road in the Hathras district of the Uttar Pradesh state.
Some people fainted due to the high humidity, said Chaitra V of the Uttar Pradesh Regional Administration. As people tried to leave the tent quickly, some of them fell - which led to the mass panic. "The number of deaths is now 107, 18 injured are being treated in hospitals", she added. Most of the deceased were suffocated or trampled.
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh reportedly set up a committee of high-ranking police and administrative officers to investigate the incident. The police have registered a report and are now looking for Guru Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as Bhole Baba, the organizer of the event. His assistant told the India Today TV channel that a permit for the gathering had been obtained but more people than expected had turned up.
Lack of security measures?
At the event site, only 40 policemen were on duty, and no security measures were reportedly taken for large gatherings. There was no clear demarcation of entry and exit points.
"We tried to leave when Baba had gone, but there was a muddy ditch and some people slipped. Others ran over them and even more fell. My neighbor's little daughter died", a woman cried to the channel. She was reportedly among the busload of people who had come from a neighboring village.
Accidents at religious events are not uncommon in India as large crowds often gather on narrow roads, bridges, or in confined spaces. In a religious festival in Madhya Pradesh in 2013, more than 100 people lost their lives in a stampede.
- Despite the mass panic resulting in numerous tragedies, the woman from the neighboring village regrettably lost her young daughter during the attempt to leave the event site.
- The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is conducting an investigation into the incident, focusing on the lack of security measures at the site, where only 40 policemen were present.
- News of at least 107 fatalities, primarily women and children, in the northern region of India has spread, with the incident occurring during a religious event in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh.
- In an unfortunate turn of events, thousands of people gathered for prayers and a sermon, leading to high humidity causing some individuals to faint.
- The local guru, Guru Narayan Sakar Hari, known as Bhole Baba, organized the event with a permit, but the influx of more attendees than expected led to chaos, which resulted in the mass panic.
- In a stark reminder of the dangers associated with religious gatherings, another accident occurred during a festival in Madhya Pradesh in 2013, claiming over 100 lives due to a stampede.
