Death toll still rising after India temple stampede
Death toll rises after temple stampede
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Tuesday, 30, Sep 2008 07:59
Over 150 people are reported to have died after a stampede at a Hindu temple in India.
The incident, which occurred in the historic town of Jodhpur in India's western state of Rajasthan, saw panic break out after the collapse of a wall.
Police officers at the scene blamed severe overcrowding for the deaths which followed. Over 60 others were injured as a result of the panic, while the Associated Press news agency said 168 people had lost their lives.
Worshippers had been gathering at the Chamunda Devi temple in the hill-top Mehrangarh Fort to mark the start of the major Hindu festival Navaratri.
One witness told the Reuters news agency: "The stampede started after a barricade near the temple broke and there was huge confusion and people started running down a steep slope and fell on each other."
It comes just weeks after a similar incident saw 145 die. August 3rd saw Hindu pilgrims die when rumours of a landslide sparked panic in the remote Naina Devi Temple.