Toll in Hathras stampede rises to 116; several injured at the religious gathering
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At least 116 people died and several others were injured in a stampede at a religious congregation in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, said Aligarh Range IG Shalabh Mathur.
The incident occurred at a 'satsang' event in Pulrai village where people had gathered in large numbers.
Bodies lay scattered at a medical centre in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district on Tuesday as people milled around them, wiping away tears and consoling one another.
The heartbreaking scenes unfolded outside the district's Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre, where victims, dead or unconscious, of the stampede that occurred at a 'satsang' in Phulrai village, were brought in ambulances, trucks and cars.
A woman sat crying among five or six bodies in a truck, urging people to help her get the body of her daughter out of the vehicle. A video clip showed a man and a woman lying lifeless in a different vehicle.
Many of the injured were seen lying near the entrance of the local government hospital surrounded by anxious relatives. Locals blamed the administration's negligence for the tragedy.
An eyewitness, Shakuntala Devi, said the stampede took place while people were leaving the venue at the end of the 'satsang'. They fell atop each other, she said. The stampede apparently occurred due to overcrowding, Sikandra Rao police station SHO Ashish Kumar said.
According to officials, a team comprising the Agra additional director general of police and the divisional commissioner of Aligarh will probe the incident.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the tragedy and instructed officials to reach the accident site and carry out relief measures. He announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
The Uttar Pradesh government said an FIR will be registered against the organisers of the programme. Adityanath also directed the district administration to arrange for proper treatment of those injured and immediately take them to hospitals. He wished them a speedy recovery.