VIDEO: Immense sorrow as 116 killed at religious event in India

• At least 116 people have been killed in a stampede at a religious gathering in northern India
• The victims of the tragic incident include a large number of women and some children
• Unverified videos on social media seen by Legit.ng showed bodies on the ground of a local hospital

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public journalism and global issues.

Hathras, India - A fatal stampede among thousands of people at a religious gathering in northern India has killed around 116 people and left scores injured.

As reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, July 2, many women and children were among the dead.

Relatives of a stampede victim in India cry. Photo credit: STR
Source: Getty Images

According to Al Jazeera, a large crowd had gathered in a village in Uttar Pradesh state’s Hathras district for a sermon by a preacher but a fierce dust storm caused panic as people were leaving.

Ashish Kumar, administrator of the Hathras district, narrated to reporters:

Unverified videos on social media showed bodies piled up on the ground outside a local hospital.

Senior police officer Shalabh Mathur in Uttar Pradesh state confirmed that 105 people had already died while 84 others were injured and admitted to hospitals.

How often does stampede occur in India?

This is not the first time that a large number of people died in stampedes at temples and other religious gatherings over the years in India.

Some of the largest casualties caused by stampedes at religious gatherings include the death of more than 340 devotees at Maharashtra's Mandhardevi temple in 2005 and at least 250 were killed at Rajasthan's Chamunda Devi temple in 2008.

A stampede at a religious gathering at Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh caused the loss of lives of 162 people in 2008.

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While some brands are already in the starting blocks, others are waiting to see whether India will become a new land of plenty.

Source: Legit.ng