Severe overcrowding, lack of exits and mud contributed to a deadly stampede in India

Associated Press

HATHRAS, India (AP) — Authorities in India say severe overcrowding and a lack of exits contributed to a stampede at a religious festival that left at least 121 people dead as the faithful surged toward the preacher to touch him and chaos ensued. A local official said five of those died on Wednesday morning. Another 28 people were still being treated in a hospital. Deadly stampedes are relatively common at Indian religious festivals. Large crowds gather at them, often in small areas with shoddy infrastructure and few safety measures. Some quarter of a million people turned up for the event Tuesday that was permitted to accommodate only 80,000.