Stampede kills at least 121 at India religious event
The cause seemed to be a "combination of sweltering heat and religious fervor"
What happened
A stampede at an overcrowded Hindu religious event in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state on Tuesday left at least 121 people dead, mostly women and children, police officials said. Dozens more were injured and taken to overwhelmed hospitals.
Who said what
It wasn't clear what caused the stampede, but it "appeared to be a combination of sweltering heat and religious fervor," The Washington Post said. The BBC said witnesses described a "fierce dust storm" that "led to confusion and panic" as people rushed toward exit from the enclosed open-air venue where Hindu guru Narayan Sakar Hari, known locally as Bhole Baba, had just finished preaching.
But "deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals," The Associated Press said. India is "good at drawing crowds, but not good at managing them," Manoj Kumar Jha, a member of India's Parliament, said in The New York Times. "Every year, these kinds of incidents keep repeating themselves, and we learn nothing."
What next?
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an investigation of the incident and said the families of the dead will each get $2,400 in compensation.
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