107 killed in Hathras (UP) stampede

AT least 107 people were killed and several more injured in a stampede at a religious congregation in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district on Tuesday, police said.

Senior SP Etah, Rajesh Kumar Singh said the incident occurred at a 'satsang' in Pulrai village where people had gathered in large numbers.

Here are 10 things to know about the Hathras stampede:

The stampede apparently occurred due to overcrowding, Sikandra Rao police station SHO Ashish Kumar said. "The incident happened due to overcrowding at the time when people were trying to leave the venue."

"Permission for the event to be held was given by the SDM and it was a private event... A high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter... The primary focus of the administration is to provide all possible help to the injured and kin of the deceased..." he added.

According to officials, a team comprising the Agra additional director general of police and the divisional commissioner of Aligarh will probe the incident.

Eyewitness Shakuntala Devi told PTI that the stampede took place while people were leaving the venue at the end of the 'satsang'. They fell atop each other, she said.

“After the ‘satsang’ ended, everyone came out. Outside, the road was built on a height with a drain below. One after the other, people started falling into it. Some people got crushed,” Shakuntala said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the stampede and instructed officials to reach the accident site and carry out relief measures. He announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the dead and ₹50,000 each for the injured.

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.

President Droupadi Murmu said the loss of lives was heart-rending and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

"The news of the death of many devotees, including women and children, in the accident in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh is heart-rending. I express my deepest condolences to those who lost their family members and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Murmu said in a post on X in Hindi.

The Congress also condoled the loss of lives in Hathras stampede and urged the government to leave no stone unturned in treating the injured as well as provide immediate compensation to the victims. "The scenes at the accident are extremely heart-rending. We express our deepest condolences to the bereaved families. We urge the government and administration to leave no stone unturned in treating the injured and provide immediate compensation to the victims," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said.