Dozens of Children Killed in Indian Ashram Stampede

An Indian woman cries at a hospital after a stampede in Kunda,Uttar Pradesh. Sixty-three people, all of them women and children, were crushed to death at a temple stampede.(STR/AFP/Getty Images)

A stampede of thousands of Hindu devotees at an ashram in northern India resulted in the death of at least 63 people—many of them women and children.

The crowd was said to have panicked after a gate collapsed at the ashram, which is popular among locals in the small village of Mangarh, Uttar Pradesh state.

Among the dead were 37 children and 26 women, police said. More than 200 others were reported injured in the crush.

Thousands had gathered at the ashram to receive free food and clothes handouts from a local religious leader, Kripaluji Maharaj.

Maharaj, who is revered by thousands in India and the United States, had invited villagers to attend a feast at noon on Thursday to mark the anniversary of his wife’s death.

However, a partially-built metal gate at the entrance of the ashram collapsed, crushing a number of villagers.

As police struggled to control the crowd, dozens fell and were trampled by those behind them.

“The children fell first and the women in their attempt to save them fell on them,” said Shiv, a witness who spoke to Reuters news agency.

“The crowd just trampled on whoever fell on the ground.”

It was not until several hours after the stampede that police were able to fully clear the area and begin identifying the bodies.

Mahesh Mishra, a senior local police officer, told news agencies that at least 37 of the dead were children and 26 were women.

Many of the injured were carried to local hospitals with the help of residents. Families had gathered there for news of whether their relatives had been hurt.

“She had just wandered in to see what was happening,” said Gudal, a 38-year-old farmer whose 7-year-old daughter was killed, told the AP news agency.

Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Ms. Mayawati, has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Government officials were quoted as saying that the organizers of the event had been unprepared to deal with the size of the crowd.

Kripaluji runs four ashrams in India and an ashram and a temple in Austin, Texas. According to his Web site, he has three charitable hospitals and regular speaking engagements in cities such as Copenhagen, Miami, and Sydney.

Deadly stampedes are common in India, especially when large crowds gather at small temples, which do not have the facilities to ensure their safety.

In 2008, more than 145 people died in a stampede at an ashram in the foothill of the Himalayas.