Northern India stampede:- Police and medical officials in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state say more than 100 people are dead after a stampede during a religious gathering in the Hathras district.

District Magistrate Ashish Kumar told reporters the incident occurred at a village about 200 kilometers southeast of India’s capital, New Delhi, as a large crowd rushed to leave a Hindu event known as a satsang, organized by local religious leader Bhole Baba.

The Associated Press reports as many as 15,000 may have attended the event in a space built to host 5,000.

Police say overcrowding was likely a factor. One local official told French news agency AFP that a dust storm also may have blinded people as they attempted to leave the area.

A witness told the Press Trust of India news agency that as the crowd left, some people fell into a drain by the side of a road, and were crushed to death when others fell on top of them.

Reports say several women and children were among the dead.

Video and images posted to social media show bodies on the ground. The injured were ferried to local hospitals.

In a statement on his X account, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, Mahant Yogi Adityanath, said he has formed a team to investigate the incident.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an appearance before the Indian parliament Tuesday, said he was deeply saddened about the incident and stressed he would “help the injured in every possible way.”

Deadly stampedes are relatively common during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety measures. VOA/SP