At least 60 people have died and dozens were injured after a stampede occurred during a religious gathering of thousands in northern India, officials reported today, Tuesday.

Medical official Umesh Tripathi stated that more than 150 people were transported to hospitals following the stampede that occurred in a village in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, adding that the death toll could rise.

Government official Ashish Kumar told the Associated Press that at least 60 bodies arrived at the district morgue.

Local media reported that the stampede happened when attendees rushed to leave after an event in a temporary tent with a Hindu leader named Bhol Baba. In a video after the incident, the building appeared to have collapsed, as women wept for the deceased.

Police officer Rajesh Singh indicated that overcrowding may have been a factor. Initial reports suggested that over 15,000 people had gathered at the event, which was permitted to host around 5,000 attendees.

Eyewitness Shakuntala Devi told the Press Trust of India: "People started falling one by one. Those who were crushed died, and people took them out from there."

The stampede occurred about 350 kilometers southwest of the state capital, Lucknow. Government official Matadeen Saroj stated that the bodies are being transported to hospitals and morgues in trucks and private vehicles.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, described the stampede as "very tragic and heart-wrenching" in a post on the social media platform X. He stated that authorities are investigating the cause.

Fatal stampedes are relatively common during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with little safety measures.

In 2013, pilgrims visiting a temple for a popular Hindu festival in Madhya Pradesh in central India trampled each other amid fears of a bridge collapse, resulting in at least 115 people being crushed to death or drowned in the river.

In 2011, over 100 Hindu worshippers died in a stampede during a religious festival in southern Kerala.