At least 60 people are dead and scores are injured after a stampede at a religious gathering of thousands of people in northern India, officials said Tuesday.
More than 150 people were admitted to hospitals after the crush in a village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state, medical official Umesh Tripathi said, adding that the death toll could still rise.
Government official Ashish Kumar told The Associated Press that at least 60 bodies had reached mortuaries in the district.
The stampede occurred as attendees rushed to leave following an event with a religious leader named Bhole Baba, local media reported.
Police officer Rajesh Singh said overcrowding may have been a factor. Initial reports suggested that over 15,000 people had gathered for the event, which had permission to host about 5,000.
‘There was no way out’
One survivor, Jyoti, who goes only by her first name, told local media that the stampede happened quickly, as soon as the event ended. “Everyone was in a rush to leave,” she said. “There was no way out and people were falling on each other.”
Bodies were being brought to hospitals and morgues by trucks and private vehicles, government official Matadin Saroj said.
The stampede took place about 350 kilometres southwest of state capital Lucknow.
Deadly stampedes are relatively common during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety measures.