Over 120 Die At India's Religious Event

Over 120 people have been killed in a crush at a religious gathering in northern India, officials revealed.

The incident took place at a satsang (a Hindu religious event) in Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh state.

The victims, including a large number of women and some children, are still being identified.

It is not yet clear what led to the crush. Eyewitnesses said the exit was too narrow and when people were leaving, a fierce dust storm led to confusion and panic, causing many people to become trampled.

An eyewitness,  who pleaded anonymity, said everything was "going fine", until "all of a sudden I heard screams and before I knew it, people were falling on each other.

"Many were crushed and I couldn't do much. I am just lucky to have survived."

"When the sermon finished, everyone started running out," a woman named only as Shakuntala told the Press Trust of India news agency.

"People fell in a drain by the road. They started falling one on top of the other and got crushed to death."

Umesh Kumar Tripathi, chief medical officer from the neighbouring district of Etah, said the "stampede" had left at least three children dead.

A spokesperson for a senior police officer in Uttar Pradesh stressed that  it would "take hours to release the final tally".

Kumar said the venue had been overcrowded, adding that a high-level committee had been formed to investigate the incident.

"The primary focus of the administration is to provide all possible help to the injured and kin of the deceased," he said.

Many people are trying to find their loved ones, many bodies are unclaimed.

There is a shortage of ambulances – each one is bringing two to three bodies. Hathras is filled with despair and pain.

Accidents are routinely reported at religious events in India, as huge crowds gather in tight spaces with little adherence to safety measures.

In 2018, around 60 people were killed after a train rammed into a crowd watching celebrations for Dusshera, a Hindu festival.

In 2013, a crush at a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh had killed 115 people.