the death toll rises to more than 120

A deadly gathering. A crowd of some 250,000 people gathered to listen to a preacher on Tuesday in Hathras in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, according to a police report, more than triple the 80,000 allowed.Uttar Pradesh disaster management authorities released a new list of deaths on Wednesday, July 3, taking the toll from 116 to 121.

Survivors of the stampede, India’s deadliest in more than a decade, testified to the “chaos” during the disaster that occurred at a Hindu gathering.“Everyone — the whole crowd, including women and children — left the event site at the same time.”Sheela Maurya, a 50-year-old police officer who was on duty, told AFP. “There was not enough space and people fell on top of each other”Some fainted under the pressure of the crowd, before falling and being trampled.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced $2,400 in compensation for the relatives of the deceased and $600 for the injured. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also a Hindu monk, expressed condolences to the victims and ordered an inquiry. Religious gatherings in India have a grim record of fatalities due to poor crowd management and security lapses. At least 224 pilgrims died in 2008, and more than 400 were injured, in a stampede outside a temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.