India: Death toll rises to over 120 after stampede

According to official figures, at least 121 people - including more than 100 women - have lost their lives. At least seven dead children are also among the victims. According to the local government, 35 seriously injured people are still being treated in hospitals.

According to estimates, 150,000 people had responded to the call of a self-proclaimed guru. The believers had gathered for prayers and a sermon on Tuesday in the north of India, in the district of Hathras in the state of Uttar Pradesh. According to Indian media, the police said that significantly more followers had come than expected.

Numerous victims suffocated

Eyewitnesses to the stampede reported that people had suddenly stormed out of a crowded tent after the guru had left the event. Many slipped in the dense crowd and fell over each other into a muddy ditch. Numerous victims were suffocated or trampled to death, a local government official said.

Investigations are ongoing, a local government spokesman said. The police are also searching for Guru Bhole Baba. The day after the stampede, photos showed investigators and sniffer dogs on the muddy field of the event. Their work was hampered by heavy rain. Pictures also showed grieving relatives.

Accidents at religious events are not uncommon in India, as large crowds often gather in confined spaces, on narrow paths or bridges. More than 100 people died in a stampede at a religious festival in Madhya Pradesh in 2013.