At least 87 people have reportedly died in a stampede at a religious event in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, according to local media and authorities.
The stampede took place on Tuesday in a village in Hathras district, around 200 km (125 miles) southeast of New Delhi. “I can’t give the exact toll at the moment, but it is approximately 60.
There is a possibility that the toll may go up,” said Manish Chikara, a district police spokesperson, in a phone interview with Reuters.
Additionally, New Delhi-based media company NDTV reported that the death toll has increased to 87.
Unverified videos circulating on social media depicted bodies piled outside a local hospital.
Chief Medical Officer Umesh Kumar Tripathi informed reporters that the victims included 25 women and two men.
“Many injured have also been admitted,” Tripathi stated. “The primary cause was a stampede during a religious event.”
Accidents resulting in fatalities are a frequent occurrence at places of worship in India during major religious festivals.
For instance, in 2016, a tragic incident claimed the lives of at least 112 people due to a large explosion caused by an unauthorised fireworks display at a temple during the Hindu New Year celebrations.
The explosion tore through concrete buildings and sparked a fire at a temple complex in Kerala state, where thousands had gathered.
In another incident, 115 devotees lost their lives in 2013 during a stampede at a bridge near a temple in Madhya Pradesh.
Around 400,000 people were gathered in the area when the stampede occurred, triggered by a rumour that the bridge was about to collapse.
In a separate incident, about 224 pilgrims lost their lives and over 400 others were injured in a stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur in 2008.
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