More than 121 killed in Hathras, The incident of stampede during a satsang in Phulrai village located in Sikandrarau Kotwali area of Hathras, Uttar Pradesh has shaken the entire country. More than 100 people have died in this stampede. At the same time, more than 200 have been injured.
According to the information available till now, the death toll in the stampede at the Satsang may increase further. A large number of these are women. There has been hue and cry all around since the incident.
It is understood that Bhole Baba’s satsang was going on in Phulrai village, after the satsang ended, a stampede broke out. Many women, children and men were buried in the stampede.
Many people have been injured in this stampede and hundreds have become unconscious due to the extreme heat. The police administration is engaged in relief and rescue work. Some injured have been taken to the hospital in Etah district.
According to Etah SSP Rajesh Kumar Singh, so far 27 bodies have arrived at Etah Hospital, which include 23 women, three children and one man. These 27 bodies are being identified
Hathras District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Patel said that 50 to 60 bodies have been brought from Hathras. According to the information, the injured were loaded in a bus-tempo and taken to the district hospital.
There is a shortage of ambulances – each one is bringing two to three bodies. Hathras is filled with despair and pain. Accidents are routinely reported at religious events in India, as huge crowds gather in tight spaces with little adherence to safety measures.
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My thoughts are with those bereaved in Hathras. Prayers with the injured. The UP Government is working to assist those affected. pic.twitter.com/hAhD5xFD1M
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 2, 2024
It is not yet clear what led to the crush. Witnesses said the exit was too narrow and when people were leaving, a fierce dust storm led to confusion and panic, causing many people to become trampled.
An eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC everything was “going fine”, until “all of a sudden I heard screams and before I knew it, people were falling on each other”.
“Many were crushed and I couldn’t do much. I am just lucky to have survived.”
“When the sermon finished, everyone started running out,” a woman named only as Shakuntala told the Press Trust of India news agency.
“People fell in a drain by the road. They started falling one on top of the other and got crushed to death.”
Umesh Kumar Tripathi, chief medical officer from the neighbouring district of Etah, told reporters the “stampede” had left at least three children dead. A spokesperson for a senior police officer in Uttar Pradesh told the BBC it would “take hours to release the final tally”.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the accident in Hathras. CM expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased. Apart from this, CM Yogi has given instructions to provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand each to the injured. Along with this, FIR will be registered against the organizers of the program in this matter. The administration is preparing to take major action against the organizers.