The death toll in Tuesday's stampede in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh further rose to 121, among whom were 114 women, six children and one man, said a local administration official on Wednesday.
Another 28 injured people were undergoing treatment at a local hospital, where their condition was said to be stable.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the organizers. A designated investigation team has been assigned to investigate into the incident and has submitted a preliminary work report, officials said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
The stampede was said to have struck at around 3:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday after a religious ceremony in Hathras City. When a religious figure was leaving the venue, people ran towards him to touch his feet and take his blessings.
Suddenly, there was chaos and people started slipping on the wet ground while running, and began falling on each other, said an eyewitness. Most of the victims died after slipping on the wet ground and falling into a ditch by the roadside.
The organizers of the religious congregation had applied for the permission to allow 80,000 participants, according to media reports. But the police report shows an actual gathering of more than 250,000 people. Some of the victims are yet to be identified.
"We are here to look for our families. The five of them came to the congregation and then went missing. We saw photos of unclaimed victims, so here we are," said Lal, family of the congregation's participants.
On Wednesday morning, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached the spot of the horrific tragedy to meet the injured people admitted at a local hospital and seek a detailed report about the stampede from the local administration and police officers.
121 dead, 28 wounded in India's stampede: investigation report
121 dead, 28 wounded in India's stampede: investigation report
121 dead, 28 wounded in India's stampede: investigation report
Healthcare has been one of the key areas for China-Tajikistan cooperation, and the Central Asian country is looking forward to making good use of the achievements registered by both nations, in a bid to improve the quality of medical treatment, according to a Tajik official.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Ghafur Muhsinzoda, First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of Tajikistan, spoke highly of the benefits brought by the cooperation between China and his country and offered insights into the prospects of healthcare field by deepening exchanges.
Tajikistan has inked multiple agreements with China's Ministry of Health, Beijing Municipality and northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as part of the efforts to improve the medical level, said the deputy minister.
"It should be noted that our cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with the People's Republic of China is also at a very good level. In particular, there are already 54 joint ventures with China in our Republic, and we have registered 208 types of medications allowed for import into Tajikistan from China. We are also striving to improve our pharmaceutical industry standards to approach the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) level and meet international standards," he said.
Thanks to the fruitful results achieved through numerous meetings with representatives from China, Tajikistan has received many visitors from various Chinese cities like Beijing, Changzhou and Urumqi, according to Muhsinzoda.
In terms of the future opportunities of cooperation in healthcare sector, Muhsinzoda revealed that Tajikistan has drawn up specific plans to work on traditional Chinese medicine through the in-depth cooperation with China.
"We have now identified joint projects where we can work together both in Tajikistan and by sending our specialists abroad. We also have specific plans for developing traditional medicine, the traditional medicine practices used in the People's Republic of China. We aim to establish production and proper use of these medicines in Tajikistan through our cooperation. Additionally, we have our own experience in traditional medicine. We want to combine the achievements of both countries to improve the quality of treatment in areas where they are effective," said the official.
He also mentioned that in cooperation with surgeons from China, his ministry has prepared their systems in advance, and has conducted extensive work to ensure that the most needy patients can receive appropriate treatment.
"With the help of Chinese specialists, ophthalmologists and volunteers, we were able to organize [treatment for those in need.] And within a short period, in two weeks, they performed 543 operations and consulted with 979 needy patients, selecting those who need these operations," said Muhsinzoda.
Tajikistan to improve medical treatment quality by joining hands with China: official
