Malabar Hill deaths caused by ‘suffocation’: Cops

MUMBAI: Reacting to the stampede that broke out near the Malabar Hill residence of Dawoodi Bohra community leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, which claimed 18 lives, Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh said most of the deaths were due to suffocation.

“The weather was hot and a lot of people were coming to pay their tribute. The lane there is very narrow and so there was suffocation in that area. It was very difficult for the people to breathe. Some got unconscious and they fell on each other. And suddenly there was a stampede there,” said Singh.