Death toll rises in India stampede as officials investigate possible causes
July 3 (UPI) -- At least 121 people died during a human stampede as a religious event concluded Tuesday, prompting local officials to order an investigation into the deadly event.
Event organizers anticipated a crowd of 80,000 at the religious gathering in the Uttar Pradesh state in central India that featured a Hindu guru named Suraj Pal, who since has disappeared.
An estimated 250,000 people showed up and crowded under tents to escape the hot sun.
The deadly stampede occurred as the event ended, and most of the victims are women.
Uttar Pradesh state officials ordered an investigation into the stampede's causes while the state police filed a complaint to initiate a case against the event's organizers.
"As the preacher left in his car, many rushed to collect dust rising from the path of the vehicle," the police complaint says. "Some of those bent over got crushed by the large crowd exiting the venue."
The police complaint accuses event organizers of throwing victims' clothing and footwear into nearby fields to destroy evidence of the stampede.
The police complaint is filed as a culpable homicide that is less than murder and destruction of evidence but does not name Suraj Pal as a suspect or target of the investigation.
Two narratives have emerged regarding the stampede's cause.
One narrative suggests event organizers stopped a group of religious devotees from getting close to Pal after he finished addressing attendees of the religious event.
The other narrative says the stampede happened as attendees tried to exit the tents provided to shelter them from the hot sun and humidity.
All agree the event lacked suitable crowd control, which made an orderly exit difficult.
Local hospitals were overwhelmed by the numbers of injured attendees who arrived for treatment, which likely added to the death toll.
The Indian government announced it will pay $2,500 in compensation to the deceased victims' families.
