Crowds gather outside the emergency department of an Etah hospital

According to local police and administration authorities, more than 100 persons were murdered in a crush during a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh, India's northern state, on Tuesday.

According to authorities, the event occurred at a prayer meeting, known as a satsang, in Mughal Garhi hamlet in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district. The hamlet in India's most populous state is located around 200 kilometres (124 miles) southeast of the capital, New Delhi.

According to local authorities, at least 116 individuals were murdered, though the figure may grow.

According to Inspector General Shalabh Mathur of the neighbouring district Ambala Range, at least 27 of the dead's remains have been transferred to Etah district mortuary, while the remaining bodies are in Hathras.

A video provided by Reuters showed throngs gathered outside a local hospital in Etah, where bereaved family wept over the deceased. Medical professionals were spotted transporting patients on stretchers.

It is unknown what prompted the crowd crush, but survivors described the frightening occurrence in its aftermath. "People began to tumble one upon another. People that were crushed died. "People there pulled them out," Shakuntala Devi told the Press Trust of India news agency, according to the Associated Press.

Inspector General Mathur stated that efforts are underway to offer medical attention to the injured, as well as plans for post-mortem exams at several places.

Mathur stated that a police report will be filed against the event organisers for allegedly breaching approved attendance limits. He stated that a high-level investigation has been begun into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Aligarh Commissioner Chaitra V said, "As of now, 116 deaths have been confirmed, with 18 injuries reported." Initial investigations are underway, and necessary steps will be taken based on the results."

In an address to the Lok Sabha, the lower chamber of India's bicameral parliament, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences.

Modi stated that the government is involved in "relief and rescue work" and is working with the state administration. "The victims will be helped in every way," he promised.

Ashish Kumar, the district magistrate of Hathras, told reporters that the rush occurred as people were leaving the event, which was meant to worship the Hindu deity Shiva.

The district magistrate stated that police had granted authorization for the private event and that officers were "put on duty for the maintenance of law, order, and security," but that the organisers handled the interior preparations.

He stated that a newly created high-level committee will investigate the issue.

A new year’s crush in January 2022 at one of India’s holiest shrines in Jammu, in the north of the country, killed at least a dozen people.