In Agra, "I handed over more than 100 dead bodies to check their faces," a brother, whose 50-year-old sister has been missing since the stampede incident in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, said here on Wednesday.
After visiting the postmortem houses in Hathras, Etah and Aligarh, "where a large number of dead bodies were lying and the situation was horrible", Rakesh Kumar (46) said he reached the postmortem house here on his motorcycle in the morning to search for his sister, Harbeji Devi.
The death toll in the stampede that broke out at a 'satsang' in Hathras rose to 121 on Wednesday and the police lodged an FIR against the organisers, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with 2.5 lakh people crammed into a place where only 80,000 were allowed.
The victims were part of the crowd that had gathered near Phulrai village in Sikandrarau area of Hathras for the 'satsang' of religious preacher Baba Narayan Hari, also known as Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba.
The incident took place when the 'satsang' was ending. Some accounts said people slipped in the mud as they ran after the preacher's car, causing the stampede.
"On Tuesday I received a call from my brother-in-law, who lives in a village in Aligarh, informing me that Harbeji had gone to the 'satsang' but had not returned, while his neighbors (who also went to attend the 'satsang' program) have home," said Kumar, a resident of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh.
Kumar immediately left for the stampede site on his motorcycle but did not find his sister.
"I was informed that some dead bodies had been sent to Hathras and Aligarh. I then went there to look for my sister. I also checked the emergency room, where the injured were being treated, but could not find her.
"I even checked the death list released by the administration and called all the helpline numbers, trying to locate her, but all my efforts have been in vain. I have not found her yet and I am still trying," he said. .
Harbeji has four children, two daughters and two sons, Kumar added.
Like Kumar, there were many other people who had reached the postmortem house from nearby districts in search of their missing relatives or to collect the bodies of their loved ones.
Vishal Kumar of Mathura said that after hearing about the incident, he went to the spot and searched everywhere but could not find his mother Pushpa Devi.
"Eventually, we came to know that her body had been sent to Agra for an autopsy, so I came here," Vishal Kumar said, adding that his mother was a follower of Bhole Baba for almost a decade.
According to Agra Chief Medical Officer Dr Arun Srivastava, 21 bodies have been brought here for autopsy since the stampede incident occurred on Tuesday.
Maya Devi, a follower of Bhole Baba who attended the event, said she came to know about the incident after boarding the bus to return here.
"I was given the responsibility of providing water to the event attendees. I didn't realize what had happened until I reached my bus," said Devi, who resides here.
After visiting the postmortem houses in Hathras, Etah and Aligarh, "where a large number of dead bodies were lying and the situation was horrible", Rakesh Kumar (46) said he reached the postmortem house here on his motorcycle in the morning to search for his sister, Harbeji Devi.
The death toll in the stampede that broke out at a 'satsang' in Hathras rose to 121 on Wednesday and the police lodged an FIR against the organisers, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with 2.5 lakh people crammed into a place where only 80,000 were allowed.
The victims were part of the crowd that had gathered near Phulrai village in Sikandrarau area of Hathras for the 'satsang' of religious preacher Baba Narayan Hari, also known as Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba.
The incident took place when the 'satsang' was ending. Some accounts said people slipped in the mud as they ran after the preacher's car, causing the stampede.
"On Tuesday I received a call from my brother-in-law, who lives in a village in Aligarh, informing me that Harbeji had gone to the 'satsang' but had not returned, while his neighbors (who also went to attend the 'satsang' program) have home," said Kumar, a resident of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh.
Kumar immediately left for the stampede site on his motorcycle but did not find his sister.
"I was informed that some dead bodies had been sent to Hathras and Aligarh. I then went there to look for my sister. I also checked the emergency room, where the injured were being treated, but could not find her.
"I even checked the death list released by the administration and called all the helpline numbers, trying to locate her, but all my efforts have been in vain. I have not found her yet and I am still trying," he said. .
Harbeji has four children, two daughters and two sons, Kumar added.
Like Kumar, there were many other people who had reached the postmortem house from nearby districts in search of their missing relatives or to collect the bodies of their loved ones.
Vishal Kumar of Mathura said that after hearing about the incident, he went to the spot and searched everywhere but could not find his mother Pushpa Devi.
"Eventually, we came to know that her body had been sent to Agra for an autopsy, so I came here," Vishal Kumar said, adding that his mother was a follower of Bhole Baba for almost a decade.
According to Agra Chief Medical Officer Dr Arun Srivastava, 21 bodies have been brought here for autopsy since the stampede incident occurred on Tuesday.
Maya Devi, a follower of Bhole Baba who attended the event, said she came to know about the incident after boarding the bus to return here.
"I was given the responsibility of providing water to the event attendees. I didn't realize what had happened until I reached my bus," said Devi, who resides here.
