India's stampede tragedy: a look at the world's most prominent stampedes in recent history

A stampede at a prayer gathering in Uttar Pradesh left 121 dead, echoing past tragic events around the world.

A stampede Tuesday at a religious gathering in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh is reminiscent of similar tragedies in recent history.

The incident took place at a “satsang,” or prayer meeting, organized in Hathras district. At least 121 people were killed, including children, and many others were injured.

Following the tragedy, Anadolu reporters compiled the most prominent stampedes around the world in recent history.

India

In January 2005, more than 255 people were killed in a stampede at the Mandhar Devi Temple in Satara district in India’s Maharashtra state. Investigations revealed that the stampede was caused when some people fell on steps made slippery by devotees breaking coconuts.

A stampede occurred at the Naina Devi Temple in northern Himachal Pradesh state on Aug. 3, 2008. More than 140 people died in the tragedy, including many women and children.

Authorities reported that the stampede started due to chaos caused by rumors of a landslide.

On Sept. 30, 2008, a stampede occurred at the Chamunda Devi Temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, killing more than 200 people and injuring 425 others. There is speculation on the cause.

In Madhya Pradesh state in October 2013, people attending a religious service panicked over the collapse of a bridge over the Sindh River, which led to a stampede.

In the incident, 115 people were crushed to death or fell into the river and drowned.

Stampedes during Hajj pilgrimage

Hundreds of people have lost their lives in stampedes in the holy lands that Muslims visit to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. The stampedes notably occur during the exit of pilgrims from a tunnel and the stoning of pillars representing the devil.

The Mina stampede, one of the biggest disasters in Saudi Arabia, occurred on July 2, 1990. Nearly 1,500 people lost their lives in the stampede, which broke out in the tunnel in Mina, about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from Mecca.

On Sept. 24, 2015, more than 750 people were killed and hundreds injured in a stampede during the stoning of the devil in the same place.

On May 24, 1994, 270 people lost their lives in a stampede that broke out for a similar reason.

Another 251 people died on Feb. 1, 2004 and 364 people on Jan. 12, 2006 in stampedes that broke out during the stoning event.

Halloween stampede in South Korea

A stampede occurred in Itaewon district of the South Korean capital Seoul on Oct. 29, 2022 when a large crowd suddenly filled the 4-meter-wide street during a Halloween celebration estimated to be attended by around 100,000 people.

An estimated 159 people were killed and dozens injured, some seriously.

Stampede in Sana'a, Yemen

A stampede broke out in April last year in Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital Sana'a during the distribution of cash aid by a businessman in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At least 78 people lost their lives and more than 150 were injured.

It was announced that the aid was distributed without coordinating with the country's Interior Ministry and two businessmen were detained.

Indonesia

The Persebaya Surabaya and Arema Malang teams competing in the Indonesian football league faced each other on Oct. 1, 2022 and a fight broke out between supporters of the two sides following the match.

Hundreds of fans rushed to the exit gate to avoid the tear gas used by police who intervened in the brawl, causing a stampede in the stadium.

At least 135 people were killed, including people who were suffocated and trampled.

Stampede at Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander’s funeral

In January 2020, 56 people died and 213 were injured in a stampede at the funeral of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the city of Kerman.

It was reported that 35 of the 56 people who lost their lives were men and 21 were women.