Most of the victims are women
A mass stampede at a religious gathering in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, resulted in the death of 121 people (mostly women), and about 150 were injured. This was reported by WNTab on Wednesday, July 3, citing Hindustan Times.
The tragedy occurred on July 2 during a meeting with religious leader Baba Narayan Hari. During the meeting with his followers, he noted that around 440,000 people had gathered for the event. This number of believers far exceeded the figure initially estimated by the organizers.
According to eyewitnesses, the stampede began when Baba Narayan Hari left the podium and headed to his car. Many of those present decided to personally touch their leader and receive his blessing. However, the area was crowded with vehicles, and the pathways to the highway were too narrow. People began to fall, and those following did not heed this, trying to reach the religious figure over the bodies of their fellow believers.
“There was madness in the crowd due to the desire to see Baba up close. I also slipped and only held my 5-year-old grandson tighter, trying to protect him,” said one of the injured women who was receiving medical assistance at a hospital in the nearest town of Hathras.
According to doctors, 96 of the deceased bodies have been identified (91 of whom were women), and the identities of over 20 others are still being established.
Local authorities stated that the cause of the tragedy was the believers’ scramble to receive the religious leader’s blessing. However, officials have formed an investigative committee to look into the circumstances of the incident and have promised to punish those responsible strictly.
Earlier, WNTab reported on terrorist attacks in the Russian Federation.
