The death toll from the stampede at a TikToker’s mehndi ceremony in Sialkot has risen to two after a second injured man died in hospital, police said on Sunday.
The first victim, 30-year-old Muhammad Aqeel of Budha Goraya in Daska, died on Saturday. The second, Muhammad Rehan, was critically injured in the rush and was referred to Mayo Hospital in Lahore, but later succumbed to his injuries, according to Dawn and The Express Tribune. Dawn puts the injured figure at 18, while Tribune’s updated count leaves 17 people still injured after Rehan’s death.
The stampede happened on Friday night at Faraz Ground on Daska Road, where a crowd had gathered for the mehndi ceremony of TikToker Muhammad Ansar, known as Mr Patlo, and a prize-distribution event. Organisers had announced a lucky draw featuring 50 motorcycles and a car.
According to Dawn’s account of video footage, guards opened the stadium gate and the crowd began entering, before a man used a wooden club to push people back out, triggering the crush in which several people fell and were trampled. Rescue 1122 and police teams shifted the injured to Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital in Sialkot.
Police registered a case at Motra police station on October 31 on the complaint of Station House Officer Mubeen Ahmed. Nine people were nominated, including Ansar, his brother Kashif Bashir, ground owner Shahid Javed, and organisers Daniyal, Munir Ahmed, Mohsin Ali, Irshad Ali, Abdullah and Zohaib Mansha, along with 45 security guards on duty. The case was filed under sections 322, 431, 440, 188, 109, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.
District Police Officer Dost Muhammad said six people involved in managing the event had been arrested. Reports said Mr Patlo fled the scene and remains at large. The accused have not been convicted.
Funeral prayers for both victims were offered in their ancestral villages, where they were laid to rest in the presence of hundreds of mourners. Related coverage: One Killed, 13 Injured in Sialkot Mehndi Ceremony Stampede
