At least 77 people killed in stampede at religious event in northern India

NEW DELHI — At least 77 people, mostly women and children, died in a stampede at a religious event in a village in northern India on Tuesday, with dozens more injured and the death toll feared to rise, according to local officials.

While the cause of the stampede was not immediately clear, a district official told local television reporters that “stuffiness” triggered it, in an apparent reference to sweltering weather. The temperature in the area hit 90 degrees, and humidity levels reached 77 percent.