Hindu festival - More than a hundred people die in mass panic in India
During a mass panic at a Hindu festival in northern India, over 100 people have lost their lives. "Preliminary information suggests that 107 people have died," announced Chaitra V., a representative of the Aligarh city authorities in the state of Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. "The participants were trying to leave the venue when a dust storm obstructed their vision, leading to a crush and the subsequent tragic incident."
The mass panic occurred following 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 suffocated.
"As the sermon ended, everyone started rushing out," 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 trampled."
Many Women Among the Dead
The head of the local health authority, Umesh Kumar Tripathi, stated that most of the deceased were women. Many injured were taken to the hospital. Weeping men and women gathered outside a mortuary in the city of Etah, where many of the dead were taken, seeking information about their relatives.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of approximately 2240 Euros for the families of the deceased victims and 560 Euros for the injured in this "tragic incident." "My condolences go out to those who have lost their loved ones (...) I wish a quick recovery to all the injured," Modi wrote on the online service X. President Droupadi Murmu described the fatalities as "heart-wrenching."
India to Investigate Mass Panic
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased, according to his office's statement on X. An investigation was initiated.
In India, fatal accidents continue to occur near religious events. At least 112 people died in a fireworks ban violation in a temple complex in the state of Kerala in 2016. 115 worshippers were killed in a mass panic at a bridge near a temple in the state of Madhya Pradesh in 2013. Over 220 pilgrims died in a mass panic at a temple in the northern city of Jodhpur in 2008.
The mass panic at the festival led to a disproportionate number of women among the dead, as stated by the local health authority's head, Umesh Kumar Tripathi. This tragic incident has sparked mass panic and mourning in the city of Etah, where many of the victims were taken to the mortuary.
In response to the incident, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced financial aid for the affected families and injured individuals. He expressed his sympathies and wished for a swift recovery for those injured.
Following the mass panic, President Droupadi Murmu described the fatalities as a profoundly sad event. She noted that such incidents are a source of significant concern for the nation.
In an effort to prevent similar incidents in the future, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the mass panic at the festival. This is not the first time that such a tragedy has occurred near religious events in India.
