Relatives of those who perished in the chaotic crowd collapse at an Indian religious event have criticized authorities for not acting swiftly enough, resulting in numerous casualties being left unattended due to insufficient medical staff and ambulances.
During a gathering commemorating Hindu spiritual leader Bhole Baba, over 120 individuals lost their lives amid the crowd, which had surged forward on Tuesday, leading to panic as rain soaked conditions made it difficult for attendees to move. The majority of those who passed away were women and children because this tragic event took place in a section reserved exclusively for female participants.
The following Thursday, police arrested six people associated with the function, claiming they had fled upon witnessing the crowd's turmoil. However, many relatives and eyewitinasors contended that emergency services were slow to respond, leaving families to locate their deceased family members in the mud and transport them for medical care due to a shortage of ambulances, paramedics, police presence, and hospital resources.
Hari Singh, 54, a construction worker from a nearby village near Hathras, shared his harrowing experience searching desperately for his wife after the incident. "There were no medical staff, policemen or ambulances around," he recounted. He narrated how he searched among the deceased and injured victims, finally finding his unconscious wife half-buried in the mud. Unable to find immediate help, Singh carried her on a rickshaw to the hospital where doctors stated that she had survived only because of their intervention.
The relatives expressed frustration over witnessing numerous casualties being left without proper medical attention or care due to insufficient beds and personnel at the hospitals. One anonymous doctor revealed that initially, there were just eight doctors working when victims started arriving, suggesting that more lives could have been saved with a better-staffed facility.
Hospital Superintendent Anuj Kumar mentioned that his institution was unprepared to handle such an event, further emphasizing the challenges in managing both the crowd and patient care simultaneously.
Additional witnesses recounted their experiences of transporting the injured and deceased due to a lack of available hospital beds and medical staff. The district's morgue struggled to manage the influx of bodies, resorting to using ice cubes for temporary burial arrangements.
The article also highlights personal stories from individuals like Surya Prakash, Ajit Kumar, Shailender Kumar, and Hari Singh himself, offering firsthand accounts of their encounters with the aftermath of this tragic event. These narratives provide a poignant look into how families were left to navigate these unprecedented circumstances.
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