Survivors of India’s deadliest stampede in more than a decade spoke of “chaos” as the disaster struck a Hindu gathering, raising the death toll from 116 to 121 on Wednesday. Discarded clothes and shoes still littered the site, a muddy field alongside a highway.
Why were 250,000 people gathered on Tuesday?
The crowd gathered to listen to a preacher on Tuesday in Hathras in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, according to a police report. That was more than triple the authorized 80,000 people. “The entire crowd, including women and children, left the event site at the same time,” said Sheela Maurya, a 50-year-old police officer. “There was not enough space and people fell on top of each other.” Some fainted under the pressure of the crowd, before being trampled. “I tried to help some women, but I fainted and was crushed by the crowd myself,” she said. She said she had “never seen so many people” at an event, even though she has previously provided security for political and religious rallies.
What is the origin of this disaster?
Chaitra V., Divisional Commissioner of Aligarh City, initially said the panic started when “participants were leaving the scene and a dust storm blinded them, leading to a melee and the resulting tragedy.”
But Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, the state’s top civil servant, who visited the scene, said the stampede may have been triggered by worshippers rushing to get close to the preacher. “I am told that people rushed to touch his feet and tried to pick up dirt, and a stampede took place,” he said, according to the daily. Indian Express. “Many people fell into a nearby sewer.”
Is this disaster isolated?
Fatal accidents are common at places of worship in India during major religious festivals. These can attract millions of worshippers but have a sad record of fatal incidents due to poor crowd management and security lapses. At least 224 pilgrims died in 2008, and more than 400 were injured, during a stampede around a temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced $2,400 in compensation for the relatives of the deceased and $600 for the injured. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also a Hindu monk, expressed condolences to the victims’ relatives and ordered an inquiry.
