Shillong, July 2: At least 80 people, including women and children, were killed in a stampede at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on Tuesday, officials said.
The ‘satsang’ of Lord Shiva, organised by the Manav Mangal Milan Sadbhavna Samagam Committee, was being held in Ratibhanpur and a huge crowd had gathered there to listen to the religious discourse.
While Hathras District Magistrate Ashish confirmed the deaths of around 60 people in his district, officials from Etah said that another 27 deaths had been reported from hospitals there.
The injured and dead were taken to hospitals in both Hathras and the neighbouring Etah district. Among the dead were several women and children.
Addressing media soon after the incident, senior police officer, Rajesh Kumar Singh, said that the stampede took place at a religious event that was going on in a village of Hathras district.
The stampede likely took place due to overcrowding and humidity, another police officer said.
As per local sources, the stampede occurred as the event concluded when some people tried to move out of the pandal amid the humid conditions while others tried to push them back, leading to confusion and chaos.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those injured in the incident.
The Chief Minister’s office has sought a report about the stampede and the organisers of the discourse and strict action is being planned against them.
Senior officials have reached the site of the incident to supervise rescue operations. Police force from adjoining districts has also been called in. ADG Agra Aparna Kulshretra has also reached Hathras. (IANS)