Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

BREAKING NEWS!!!--India stampede 'kills 20 pilgrims' in Andhra Pradesh

by Susan Kumar and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, New Delhi

2 minutes ago


At least 20 pilgrims have died in a stampede on the banks of a holy river in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, local officials say.
The Hindu pilgrims had gathered to take a dip in the Godavari river at the start of the Maha Pushkaralu festival.
The stampede occurred at 08:00am (02:30 GMT) in the Rajahmundry district.
Nearly 24 million pilgrims are expected to take part in the 12-day festival. Pilgrims believe that taking a bath in the river will rid them of their sins.
"The incident happened as the first set of worshippers were coming out of the river after taking a dip and then got in the way of others who wanted to be in the water at an auspicious time," AFP news agency quoted senior police official A Srinivasan Rao as saying.
Deadly stampedes during religious gatherings are fairly common in India.
In October 2013, 115 people died during a stampede at a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Most were crushed after panic broke out on a bridge near the Ratangarh temple. Others drowned when they jumped from the bridge into river waters below.
  • 13 July 2015
  • From the section India

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