At least 116 people, including mostly women, died in a major stampede during a religious event in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district on Tuesday.

The incident took place when a religious preacher was addressing his followers at a specially laid tent in the Rati Bhanpur village within the Sikandra Rau area of Hathras district, reports Hindustan Times.

According to the police, prima facie, it appears that suffocation at the venue led to discomfort among the people attending the ‘Satsang’. Following this, the people started running, causing a stampede. It was very hot and humid during the event, the police added.

 “It was a satsang meeting of Bhole Baba, a religious preacher. A temporary permission was granted for gathering at the spot on the border of Etah and Hathras district on Tuesday afternoon,” Inspector General (Aligarh Range) Shalabh Mathur said.

Some of the deceased who have been identified are - Ganga Devi (70) from Hathras, Priyanka (20) from Kasganj, Jasoda (70) from Mathura, and Saroj Lata (60) from Etah. Two deceased children have also been identified - Kavya (4) and Ayush (8), both hailing from Shahjahnpur.

According to one of the survivors, the stampede took place when the religious event ended, and everyone was rushing to leave the place.

 “There was a huge crowd gathered of followers at the spot. There was no way out, and everybody fell on each other, and a stampede took place. When I tried to move out, there were motorcycles parked outside, which blocked my way. Many fainted while others died,” a victim, who was admitted to a nearby hospital, said.

The exact cause of the incident is being investigated.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and directed the officials in and around Hathras district to speed up rescue and relief operations. “He has also given instructions to investigate the causes of the incident under the leadership of ADG Agra and Commissioner Aligarh,” the CM's Office wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.