Stampede kills at least 121 at India religious event

Site of deadly stampede in Hathras in India's Uttar Pradesh state

Deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian festivals

(Image credit: Arun Sankar / AFP via Getty Images)

published 3 July 2024

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.

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."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.