One dead, more than 14 injured in stampede at TikToker's mehndi ceremony in Sialkot
A crowd surge at the gate of a mehndi ceremony and prize draw for TikToker Muhammad Ansar Jatt, known as Mr Patlu, at the Faraz Cricket Ground on Daska Road left one man dead and more than 14 injured on Saturday night, with the event then cancelled.
One person was killed and more than 14 others were injured in a stampede at a TikTok influencer's mehndi ceremony in Sialkot on Saturday night, after a large crowd surged forward when the gates of the venue were opened, officials and local reports said.
The ceremony, for Muhammad Ansar Jatt, a popular TikToker from Sialkot district known as "Mr Patlu", was being held at the Faraz Cricket Ground on Daska Road, and included a prize-distribution event that had drawn people from across Punjab and beyond.
According to Dawn, the stampede broke out as the crowd pressed to get inside for the event. Police and Rescue 1122 personnel carried out a joint rescue operation and shifted the injured to the Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital in Sialkot.
The man who died was identified as 30-year-old Muhammad Aqeel, who passed away while being transported to hospital because of the critical nature of his injuries, Dawn reported, citing officials. A rescue spokesperson said the other injured people were men aged between 22 and 51.
The injured came from a wide spread of districts, including Narowal, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Khanewal, Okara, Sialkot, Gujrat and Bahawalpur, a sign of how far people had travelled for the gathering. ARY News reported that thousands of people had arrived from distant areas to attend the ceremony.
A major reason for the size of the crowd was the prize draw planned for the evening. ARY News reported that the draw included 50 motorcycles, a car and cash prizes of Rs50,000 each, while the TikToker had also announced financial assistance for the dowries of 20 underprivileged orphan girls.
Reports from the scene said the trouble began the moment the entrance gate was opened. People waiting outside rushed forward at once, pushing and shoving broke out, and several people fell to the ground and were trampled in the crush before order could be restored.
Sialkot District Emergency Officer Engineer Naveed Iqbal said the rescue service had not been informed in advance about the large gathering planned at the cricket ground, a gap that may have slowed the initial response. Rescue teams reached the scene once alerted and began providing first aid and shifting the injured to hospital.
Some local residents put the number of injured higher than the official count, saying more than 40 people were hurt and that attendees had taken several of the injured to nearby private hospitals and clinics for first aid before rescue teams arrived. That higher figure has not been confirmed by officials, and the verified official account remains one death and more than 14 injured.
Following the fatal crush, the remainder of the mehndi ceremony was cancelled. Police have not yet announced whether any action will be taken against the organisers over crowd management or the failure to inform the authorities in advance, and further details about the condition of the injured were still awaited on Saturday night.
