More than 100 people died in a stampede on Tuesday in North India after a Hindu religious gathering. It is one of the deadliest accidents in recent years.
Thousands of people gathered in a makeshift tent for a religious event led by a Hindu preacher in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state. Victims were crushed to death as they rushed to leave. Video footage of the aftermath showed the structure appearing to have collapsed, and authorities said heat, overcrowding and suffocation could have been factors.
Below is a look at other major stampedes in India over the past two decades:
12 dead as crowds gather at popular Hindu shrine
A crowd gathers at a popular Hindu shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir at least 12 people killed and 15 were injured on New Year’s Day 2022. The crowds gathered at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine, where tens of thousands of Hindus had gathered to pay their respects.
Rush hour stampede kills 22 on Mumbai pedestrian bridge
A stampede on a busy pedestrian bridge connecting two railway stations in Mumbai 22 people killed and 32 injured during the morning rush hour on September 29, 2017. According to police, some commuters jumped over the railing, while others were crushed or fell under their feet and trampled.
2 dozen dead on crowded bridge in Varanasi
At least 24 people were killed and 20 were injured in a stampede on October 15, 2016, as they crossed a crowded bridge to reach a Hindu religious ceremony in northern India. The stampede occurred on the outskirts of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh known for its temples. Organizers had expected 3,000 devotees to attend the ceremony, but more than 70,000 people crowded into the ashram of a local Hindu leader on the banks of the Ganges River.
Massive eruption along Godavari river kills at least 27
Tens of thousands of pilgrims taking part in a Hindu religious bathing festival surged forward and caused a huge stampede on a riverbank in southern India, killing at least 27 and injuring dozens. The stampede along the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh on July 14, 2015, was caused by pilgrims trying to retrieve their shoes, which had fallen off as they first approached the riverbank.
115 dead after bridge collapse leads to stampede during festival
On October 13, 2013, a bridge collapse triggered a stampede that killed 115 people, mostly women and children, among hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who had flocked to a Hindu temple in the remote town of Ratangarh in Madhya Pradesh state on the last day of the popular 10-day Navaratri festival.
Last minute platform change causes stampede that leaves 36 dead
About 36 people were killed on Feb. 10, 2013, during a stampede at a train station in the northern Indian city of Allahabad, where millions of Hindu devotees had gathered for Kumbh Mela — or Pitcher Festival — one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. Tens of thousands of people were waiting to board a train at the city’s main station when railway officials announced a last-minute change to the platform, sending people rushing, witnesses said.
Nearly 200 dead in stampede at crowded temple in Jodhpur
At least 168 people were killed and 100 injured when thousands of pilgrims panicked at a Hindu temple in Jodhpur on September 30, 2008. The crowds were apparently the cause of the outburst, as more than 12,000 people gathered at the temple to celebrate Navratra, a Hindu festival.
145 dead in stampede triggered by rumours of landslide
Dozens of women and children were among the 145 people killed on Aug. 3, 2008, when thousands of pilgrims flocked to a remote mountaintop temple in northern India during festivities honoring Shakrti, a Hindu goddess. The devotees were attending a nine-day religious festival at the Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh state. Rumors of a landslide apparently sparked the panic, a senior government official said.
Stampede and subsequent fire kill 258 during religious procession
A stampede during a religious procession to a hilltop temple on January 25, 2005, killed at least 258 people and injured 200 in western India, near the village of Wai, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of Bombay, in Satara district. The stampede was sparked after several Hindu pilgrims inside the temple fell on a slippery floor and were crushed by other pilgrims who were apparently walking on them. Enraged by the deaths, some pilgrims set a fire that destroyed hundreds of makeshift shops along a narrow walkway to the temple, sparking the deadly stampede.