The day after the deadly accident in India, where hundreds of people were trampled to death, survivors are trying to understand what happened.
I tried to help some women, but even I fainted and was crushed by the crowd, says police officer Sheela Maurya to AFP.
Early on Wednesday morning, local time, just hours after the incident, abandoned shoes and torn clothes remained at the site.
The tragedy occurred when a large crowd was leaving a prayer meeting with a local Hindu leader, outside the city of Hathras south of Delhi. Panic broke out and 121 people died, including seven children.
According to a police report, 250,000 people attended the gathering – more than three times the number authorized. The permit was for 80,000 people.
Police officer Sheela Maurya had worked all day in the heat when she was swept away by the crowd, fainted, and was injured.
Someone pulled me out, I don't remember much, she says.
At the hospital in Hathras, the injured are being treated, while relatives are searching for missing family members.
The authorities initially stated that the panic broke out when a sandstorm swept in and caused panic. But Manoj Kumar Singh, chief secretary of the state of Uttar Pradesh, tells reporters that he has heard that people fought to get close to the preacher.
I have heard that people rushed forward to touch his feet and collect soil, and that the panic then broke out, he tells the Indian Express Daily.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered economic assistance to the affected.
