News Desk

On Tuesday, more than a hundred lives were unfortunately lost in a religious gathering in India’s north state of Uttar Pradesh, said the police and local administration officials.

This incident happened at a Satsang, a prayer meeting, in the village of Mughal Garhi village in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The village, which stands in the most populated district in India, is just 200 kilometers to the southeast of New Delhi.

Of the total of 116 victims, 108 were women and 7 were children, according to the state’s Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh. Currently, about 72 people have been identified, and the number injuries is 18.

One cause brought up by local officials is that the crush happened due to overcrowding, which further pushed them into a sewer. Singh has told reporters that the organizers of this religious gathering set an approximate reception 80,000 people, but

“a lot more people than expected”

showed up.

Surprisingly, the incident had occurred at the end of event, when a large number of people went to touch the feet of the religious figure or to collect soil from the venue, following local tradition. Presumably, they started to fall into a nearby open sewer, stacking on top of each other, as they gathered into a single spot. He blamed the organizers for this tragedy, claiming they failed to comply with a list of requirements that was provided by the district.

To investigate the circumstances related to the incident, a high-level inquiry has been put into action, along with an official police report is said to be filed against the event organizers for exceeding permitted attendance levels. Singh claimed the organizers were largely on fault of the disaster and will be facing harsh punishments.