Stampede at religious event kills 97 in India

LUCKNOW, India — At least 97 people were killed in a stampede at a religious gathering in northern India on Tuesday, a senior government official said.

"We have confirmed 97 deaths so far and are focusing on providing relief and medical aid for the victims," Chaitra V., divisional commissioner of Aligarh city in Uttar Pradesh state, told Agence France-Presse.

More than 150 people were admitted to various hospitals after the crush in a village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state, medical official Umesh Tripathi said, adding that the death toll could still rise.

Police officer Rajesh Singh said overcrowding may have been a factor. Initial reports suggested that more than 15,000 people had gathered for the event, which had permission to host about 5,000.

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

'No way out'

"Everyone was in a rush to leave ... There was no way out and people were falling on each other," she said.

Bodies were being brought to hospitals and morgues by trucks and private vehicles, government official Matadin Saroj said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences at the loss of lives in the stampede.

"All possible help will be provided to the victims," Modi said in the Parliament's lower house.

The stampede took place about 350 kilometers southwest of state capital Lucknow.

Agencies Via Xinhua