Tragedy struck on Tuesday evening as a stampede at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district claimed the lives of at least 107 people, most of them women, senior state police officials reported.
According to the office of Anupam Kulshrestha, the Additional Director General (Agra zone), the majority of the deceased were women. The exact cause of the stampede remains unclear, but initial reports suggest that it began as attendees hurriedly exited the venue following the conclusion of a religious gathering led by preacher Bhole Baba.
Inspector General of Aligarh Range, Shalabh Mathur, stated that preliminary investigations indicate that the hot and humid weather conditions inside the venue may have caused some attendees to feel suffocated. When the ‘satsang’ concluded, the rush to exit the enclosure led to the fatal stampede, predominantly affecting women and children. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the precise circumstances that led to this devastating incident.
