At least 116 killed, mostly women, in stampede at religious event in India’s Uttar Pradesh

At least 116 people were crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India on Tuesday, with many others injured, government officials said, the worst such tragedy in more than a decade.

A large crowd had gathered near the city of Hathras for a sermon by a popular preacher, but a fierce dust storm sparked panic as people were leaving.

Many were crushed or trampled, falling on top of each other, with some collapsing into a roadside drain in the chaos.

“The attendees were exiting the venue when a dust storm blinded their vision, leading to a melee and the subsequent tragic incident,” said Chaitra V, divisional commissioner of Aligarh city in Uttar Pradesh state.

“We … are focusing on providing relief and medical aid for the victims,” she added.

Hours after the tragedy, she told reporters the toll had surged past a hundred.

Police said at least 18 others were injured

More than 150 people were admitted to hospitals after the crush, said medical official Umesh Tripathi.

Most of the dead were women, according to Tripathi.

“The incident happened due to overcrowding at the time when people were trying to leave the venue,” Hathras district administrator Ashish Kumar told reporters.

Initial reports suggested that more than 15,000 people had gathered for the event, which had permission to host about 5,000.

An unidentified witness told broadcaster India Today that there was a narrow exit at the venue: “As we tried to exit towards a field, suddenly a commotion started, and we didn’t know what to do.”

Witnesses and local media reports said the victims were crushed to death as the audience left the sermon.

One survivor, Jyoti, who goes only by her first name, told local media that the stampede happened quickly as soon as the event