The death toll from a stampede that broke out at a religious gathering in northern India has risen to 121, minister of Uttar Pradesh state government said yesterday.
Thousands of people had gathered on Tuesday for a prayer meeting and sermon organised by a local guru at a tent off a highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district.
Eyewitnesses reported people suddenly rushed out of the crowded venue as the guru departed.
Many slipped and fell along a ditch filled with mud and water.
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Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation and trampling, a local administration official said.
Uttar Pradesh Education Minister Sandeep Singh said that 121 people have died so far.
“The probe has started and whoever is found responsible will be punished,” he added.
Among the victims were over 100 women and at least seven children.