At least 107 people (mostly women) died on Tuesday in a stampede in a ‘Satsang’ (religious congregation) near Hathras in Uttar Pradesh.

A PTI report said, “ The accident occurred at a ‘Satsang’ event at Pulrai village where people had gathered in large numbers in a ‘ satsang’ organized on Tuesday,  few people in the gathering felt uneasy due to sweltering heat and tried to move out creating a commotion and later a stampede”.

A PTI report quoting an eye witness said, “There was a huge crowd gathered of followers of the Baba at the spot, there was no way out and everybody fell on each other, and a stampede took place. When I tried to move out, there were motorcycles parked outside, which blocked my way.”

“A Many fainted while others died,” a victim, who was admitted to a nearby hospital, said.

The number of the deceased in this accident is likely to rise further as dozens of others are stated to be in critical condition.

Etah Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh said, “By evening twenty-seven bodies have arrived in Etah hospital. Among those killed are 23 women, three children and a man.”

“In an update based on reports from the hospital, a district official later said 50 to 60 people were believed killed”,

 Video clips from the place of the incident reported “Victims, dead or unconscious, were brought to the Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre in trucks and other vehicles. The bodies were laid outside the health centre as people milled around them; another video clip showed a woman crying, sitting among five or six bodies in a truck. Another picture showed a man and a woman lying lifeless in another vehicle.

The stampede apparently occurred due to overcrowding, Sikandra Rao police station SHO Ashish Kumar said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those killed and instructed officials to reach the accident site and carry out relief measures. He announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured, besides registering an FIR .

 “The UP government has asked Ministers Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary,  Sandeep Singh, Chief Secretary and Additional DGP to rush to the spot and supervise the relief operation” , PTI reported .  

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