Crush at India religious event kills more than 120, mostly women

New Delhi CNN —

A crowd crush at a religious gathering in northern India killed more than a hundred people Tuesday, mostly women, in one of the deadliest such incidents the country has seen in recent years.

Many of the scores killed had fallen into an open sewer next to the venue. Police are investigating the organizers, saying a quarter of a million people arrived at the venue — more than three times the number expected — and just a few dozen police officers had been deployed.

Investigators are pursuing Bhole Baba, the self-styled godman who led the event. The disaster happened at a prayer meeting, known as a satsang, in Mughal Garhi village in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state. The village, in Hathras district, is around 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of the capital New Delhi.

At least 121 people died and 35 others were injured, Sandeep Singh, the Minister of State for Education, told reporters Wednesday, after a large number of people rushed to touch Bhole Baba’s feet, leading to a crush.

Almost all those killed were women, Singh said earlier, with at least seven children also among the dead.

About 72 bodies have been identified so far, and dozens of injured people are being treated in nearby hospitals, according to local health officials.

Local officials have suggested overcrowding was the cause of the crush.

GHAZIABAD, INDIA — JUNE 29: Commuters wade through a waterlogged road during monsoon rainfall at wave city NH9 on June 29, 2024 in Ghaziabad, India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts heavy to very heavy rainfall in Delhi over the next two days following the city's highest single-day downpour in 88 years on Friday. An 'orange alert' has been issued for Sunday and Monday due