- author, Sharanya Hrishikesh
- role, BBC News
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At least 121 people have been killed in clashes at a religious gathering in northern India, authorities said.
The incident took place at a satsang (Hindu religious event) in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh.
The identities of the victims, who included many women and some children, are still being confirmed.
Survivors recounted how the disaster unfolded as they tried to flee the events in Pulrai village.
It is not yet clear what caused the accident, but witnesses said the exit was too narrow, creating a severe sandstorm as people tried to escape, causing confusion and panic and resulting in many being trampled.
An eyewitness, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that everything was “going well” when “suddenly we heard screaming and next thing we knew people were falling over each other”.
“A lot of people were crushed and I couldn’t do anything. I was lucky to survive.”
“After the sermon was over, people started running away,” a woman who gave her name only as Shakuntala told the Press Trust of India.
“People fell into ditches on the side of the road. They fell on top of each other and were crushed to death.”
Umesh Kumar Tripathi, chief medical officer for the neighbouring Etah district, told reporters that at least three children had been killed in “mob stampede”.
“It will take a few hours to announce the final tally,” a spokesman for Uttar Pradesh’s top police official told the BBC.
Harrowing images from the scene have been circulating online, with some videos showing the injured being taken to hospital in pick-up trucks, tuk-tuks and even motorbikes.
Footage seen by the BBC showed several bodies left at the entrance to a local hospital as relatives screamed for help.
“Such a major accident has happened and not a single senior official is here,” said a relative seen in another video. “Where is the administration?”
The venue was crowded, Kumar said, adding that a high-level committee had been formed to investigate the incident.
“The administration’s first focus is to provide all possible assistance to the injured and relatives of the dead,” he said.
A video shared by news agency PTI showed the injured being rushed to hospital for treatment.
“Post-mortem procedures are underway and the incident is under investigation,” said Satya Prakash, an official in the neighbouring Etah district.
In Hathras, cries of distraught family members can be heard at the local hospital.
Many are trying to search for their loved ones, but many bodies remain unclaimed.
With a shortage of ambulances – each one carrying two to three bodies – Hathras is filled with despair and distress.
Accidents are frequently reported at religious events in India, where large numbers of people gather in small spaces with little or no safety precautions.
In 2018, about 60 people were killed when a train plowed into a crowd watching celebrations of the Hindu festival of Dussehra.
In 2013, 115 people were killed in clashes during a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Additional reporting by Abhishek Mathur from Hathras
