Stampede In Hathras: Here Is A List Of Some Of The Worst Stampedes To Have Broken Out

Over 116 people died and dozens were injured in a stampede at a religious congregation in a village in Hathras district on Tuesday. Stampedes at religious gatherings have also broken out earlier in India as well.

A stampede at Maharashtra’s Mandhardevi temple in 2005 led to the deaths of more than 340 devotees. A stampede at Rajasthan’s Chamunda Devi temple in 2008 led to the deaths of over 250 people. A stampede at a religious gathering at Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh caused the loss of lives of 162 people in 2008.

A stampede at a soccer stadium in Indonesia left at least 125 people dead and over 320 injured after police attempted to control violence on the pitch in 2022.

Also in 2022, at least 149 people, mostly teenagers and young adults in their 20s, were killed in a crush when a huge crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley in a nightlife area of the South Korean capital Seoul.

A stampede is a sudden, uncontrolled rush of people, causing injury or death due to panic or overcrowding. It occurs when a large crowd moves uncontrollably, often resulting in injury or death due to panic.

Here Is A Detailed List Of Similar Tragedies From Across The World:

1. March 2023: At least 36 people died when the slab constructed on top of an ancient ‘bawdi’ or well collapsed during a ‘havan’ programme held on the occasion of Ram Navami at a temple in Indore city.
2. May 2022: At least 31 people died in a stampede at a church in Nigeria’s southern Rivers state, after a crowd broke through a gate while seeking food.
3. January 2022: At least 12 people died and over a dozen were injured in a stampede at the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir triggered by a heavy rush of devotees.
4. April 2021: At least 44 people were crushed to death in a stampede at an overcrowded religious bonfire festival in Israel.
5. September 2015: At least 717 Muslim pilgrims were killed and 863 injured in a crush during the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
6. July 2015: Twenty-seven pilgrims died and 20 others were injured in a stampede at a major bathing spot on the banks of the Godavari river where a huge crowd of devotees had gathered on the opening day of ‘Pushkaram’ festival in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh.
7. October 2014: Thirty-two people were killed and 26 others injured in a stampede at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, shortly after the Dussehra celebrations ended.
8. October 2013: 115 people were killed and over 100 injured in a stampede during the Navratri festivities near Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district. The stampede was triggered by rumours that a river bridge the devotees were crossing was about to collapse.
9. January 2013: More than 230 people died in a nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Brazil, where a stampede both crushed victims and trapped others from escaping the flames.
10. November 2012: Around 20 people were killed and many others injured as a makeshift bridge caved in, triggering a stampede during the Chhath Puja at Adalat Ghat on the bank of river Ganga in Patna.
11. November 2011: At least 20 people were killed in a stampede in Haridwar at Har-ki-Pauri ghat on banks of the Ganga river.
12. January 2011: At least 104 Sabarimala devotees were killed and over 40 were injured in a stampede when a jeep crashed into homebound pilgrims at Pulmedu in Kerala’s Idukki district.
13. November 2010: A stampede on a bridge in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, killed at least 350 people after thousands panicked on the final day of a water festival.
14. March 2010: About 63 people were killed in a stampede at Ram Janki Temple of Kripalu Maharaj in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district as people gathered to collect free clothes and food from the self-styled godman.
15. September 2008: Nearly 250 devotees were killed and over 60 injured in a stampede triggered by rumours of bomb going off at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur city.
16. August 2008: 162 dead, 47 injured in a stampede triggered by rumours of rockslides at Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district.
17. January 2006: At least 362 Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death at the eastern entrance of the Jamarat Bridge while performing the hajj stoning ritual.
18. August 2005: Over 1,000 people died in a stampede off a bridge over the Tigris River in Baghdad as they panicked over false rumors of a suicide bomber.
19. January 2005: Over 340 devotees were trampled to death and hundreds injured during an annual pilgrimage at Mandhardevi temple in Maharashtra’s Satara district. The accident occurred when some people fell down on the steps made slippery by the devotees breaking coconuts.
20. August 2003: 39 people were killed and around 140 injured in a stampede during the holy bath at the Kumbh Mela in Maharashtra’s Nashik district.