Asphyxiation Caused Most Deaths in Hathras Stampede, Most Victims Women

Hathras: Asphyxiation due to compression was the major cause of death among the victims of the Hathras stampede. Among the fatalities were mostly women as devotees suffocated to their deaths and bodies piled atop each other in the worst such tragedy in recent years.

The district hospital in Etah performed four times the usual number of autopsies in a day after the stampede.

As many as 27 bodies from the Hathras stampede were brought to the mortuary of the Etah district hospital.

A total of 121 persons have died till now in this stampede and the bodies were taken to various hospitals in nearby areas including Etah and Aligarh.

Autopsies of the bodies at the Etah hospital revealed that asphyxia due to compression was the cause of death in almost all the cases. Majority of the victims were women in the 40-50 age group.

According to police officials, 21 of the 27 bodies brought to Etah government hospital were identified by midnight.

The stampede took place as the ‘satsang’ ended as the people ran after the godman Bhole Baba’s car, triggering the stampede.

Around 2.5 lakh of people had congregated in the Hathras district’s Phulrai village for the ‘satsang’.