Overcrowding, lack of exits lead to stampede

Chinese envoy mourns victims as death toll at India's religious event rises to 121

Severe overcrowding and a lack of exits contributed to the stampede at a religious function in northern India, authorities said on Wednesday, leaving at least 121 people dead as the faithful surged toward the preacher to touch him and chaos ensued.

A police report said more than 250,000 people attended the event, more than triple the 80,000 for whom organizers had taken permission. It was not clear how many made it inside the giant tent set up in a muddy field in a village in Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh state, about 200 kilometers southeast of New Delhi.

Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong mourned the victims on Tuesday, expressing condolences to their families.