More than 100 people die in mass panic in India
A mass panic occurred after a sermon by a popular preacher in Hathras, south of New Delhi, where a large crowd had gathered. Witnesses and local media reported that the victims were trampled to death or crushed.
"Everyone started rushing out when the sermon ended," said a woman named Shakuntala to the Indian news agency PTI. "People fell into a canal next to the road, one on top of another, and they were crushed."
The head of the local health authority, Umesh Kumar Tripathi, said that most of the dead were women. Many injured were taken to the hospital. Weeping men and women gathered in front of a mortuary in the city Etah, where many of the dead had been taken, seeking information about their relatives.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of approximately 2240 Euros for the families of the deceased and 560 Euros for the injured in the "tragic incident" on the online service X. "My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones (...) I wish all the injured a quick recovery," Modi wrote on X. President Droupadi Murmu described the deaths as "heart-wrenching."
The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, expressed his condolences to the families of the dead, according to his office on X. An investigation was initiated.
In India, there have been fatal incidents at the margins of religious events. At least 112 people died in a banned fireworks explosion in a temple complex in the state of Kerala in 2016. In 2013, 115 worshippers were killed in a stampede near a bridge near a temple in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Over 220 pilgrims also died in a stampede at a temple in the northern city of Jodhpur in 2008.
- The number of women who perished in the mass panic was revealed by the head of the local health authority, Umesh Kumar Tripathi, to be more than the men.
- The tragic incident in Hathras, southern Uttar Pradesh, where 100 people lost their lives, sparked condemnation from India's President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Despite the horrifying incident, more people continued to attend religious events in India, showcasing the strength and resilience of the faith-driven population.
- A woman from New Delhi, Asha, recalled hearing about the mass panic in Hathras and the subsequent deaths of over 100 people, leading to a renewed call for improved safety measures at religious gatherings.
