Around 60 crushed to demise in stampede at Hindu gathering in India
- Around 60 were killed in the crush, with more injured and fears the toll could rise
Dozens of worshippers have been crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, government medics have said.
Around 60 people were reportedly killed in the crush, many of whom were women, with more injured and fears the death toll could rise.
Crowds had gathered to celebrate the Hindu deity Shiva in the city of Hathras, some 87 miles (140km) southeast of New Delhi.
‘I can’t give the exact toll at the moment, but it is approximately 60… There is a possibility that the toll may go up,’ district police spokesperson Manish Chikara said.
Unverified videos on social media showed bodies piled up on the ground outside a local hospital.
Pictures on social media show bodies laid out on the ground outside a local hospital in the town of Sikandra Rao, Uttar Pradesh
Concerned relatives gather outside a local hospital where patients injured in the stampede are being treated
Emergency workers assist patients after the stampede at a Hindu temple in Uttar Pradesh
State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said his thoughts were with the bereaved families and he ordered an urgent investigation into the incident.
‘Instructions have been given to the concerned officials to conduct relief and rescue operations on war footing and to provide proper treatment to the injured,’ he wrote on X.
Umesh Kumar Tripathi, chief medical officer, said many injured have been admitted to hospital and added: ‘The primary reason is a stampede during a religious event.’
He previously told reporters that 27 people had been killed, of whom 25 were women and two were men.
Uttar Pradesh state senior medical officer Ram Mohan Tiwari said earlier: ‘We have received 27 bodies so far… bodies are still coming.’
Deadly accidents are common at places of worship in India during major religious festivals.
At least 112 people were killed in 2016 after a huge explosion caused by a banned fireworks display at a temple marking the Hindu new year.
The blast ripped through concrete buildings and ignited a fire at a temple complex in Kerala state, where thousands had gathered.
Another 115 devotees died in 2013 after a stampede at a bridge near a temple in Madhya Pradesh.
Up to 400,000 people were gathered in the area, and the stampede occurred after a rumour spread that the bridge was about to collapse.
About 224 pilgrims died and more than 400 others were injured in a 2008 stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.
