'Kids too small to be home alone died'

HATHRAS: Kishori Lal, 48, a resident of Bisauli in Badaun district in western Uttar Pradesh, lost his 42-year-old wife and four-year-old son in Tuesday's Hathras stampede .

Recalling the moment when he saw them dead at the community health centre (CHC) in Sikandra Rau, Lal wept bitterly, unconsolable.

"After a long wait of 20 years of marriage, we were blessed with a son. My wife went to the satsang and took our child with her. I went to Kasganj to buy farm products. When I came back, I called my wife, and some other person answered and told me about the stampede. I rushed to a nearby hospital and saw piles of bodies lying everywhere. Most of them were women and children . After checking some of them, I found my wife and son lying lifeless on a stretcher. Why am I alive? I should've left with them too."

Among the dead in the incident were children - too small to be left at home alone. "Most of them were under 10 years of age," said Suryadev Yadav, a local resident.

Sonu Sharma, who was travelling to Etah at the time of the incident, added, "I was passing by the venue on the national highway when to my utter shock, I saw people lying dead along the roadside. I had no clue what had happened..."

He added, "I saw a little girl lying on the highway divider. I rushed towards her. She was around 8-9 years old. I grabbed her in my arms -- she was gasping for breath. Before I could do anything, she collapsed. Many other children and women were dead too. I'll never forget the scenes that I saw for the rest of my life."