Dozens killed in stampede at religious gathering in northern India

More than 100 people died Tuesday during a Hindu prayer meeting, known as a satsang, that was being held in the Hathras district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier in the day, government official Ashish Kumar told the Associated Press that mortuaries in the district reported having at least 60 bodies, and another 27 people were confirmed dead in the neighboring Etah district, according to district Chief Medical Officer Umesh Kumar Tripathi.

What caused the accident? The stampede occurred as hundreds of attendees tried to leave the meeting hosted by a Hindu leader, according to local media. Overcrowding at the venue likely contributed to the incident, Kumar said. The meeting site is located on the border of the Etah and Hathras districts and is about 124 miles from the Indian capital of New Delhi. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath ordered an investigation into the incident.

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