At least 107 people, mostly women and children, died in a stampede Tuesday as they tried to exit from a crowded venue of a religious gathering in northern India, according to regional administration officials.
Thousands people had gathered for a prayer meeting and sermon organized by a local godman at a tented venue off a highway in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district.
Some people fainted because of the high humidity and as others tried to rush out, some fell leading to the stampede, senior Uttar Pradesh official Chaitra V said. "The death toll is now 107 and 18 are being treated in local hospitals for injuries," she added.
Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation and trampling, the official added.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister has set up a committee of senior police and administration officials to probe the incident.
The police have registered a complaint and are looking for the godman Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as Bhole Baba. His assistant told India Today television that permission had been taken for the meeting but more people than expected turned up.
There were only 40 policemen manning the venue and several safety measures required for big meetings including clear demarcation of entry and exit were not done, India Today TV channel reported.
"We were trying to go out after Baba left but there was a muddy ditch and some people slipped and others kept walking over them and more people fell. My neighbour's little daughter has died," a tearful woman told India Today. She had travelled to the gathering with a busload of people from a neighbouring town.
Accidents at religious places and events are not uncommon in India as huge crowds often gather in small spaces or on narrow paths and bridges.
More than 100 people were killed in a stampede at a religious festival in Madhya Pradesh in 2013.