More than 24 people have been killed and twenty others wounded Saturday in northern part of India, outskirts of Varanasi city in Uttar Pradesh, due to stampede over a crowded bridge ahead of a Hindu religious ceremony.
More than 70,000 people thronged the ashram against expected 3,000 devotees and the organizers were not prepared for such a large crowd, said police officer SK Bhagat.
Media reports reveal the stampede occurred when police started turning back the devotees from overcrowded bridge and this triggered a rumor that the bridge had collapsed.
Nineteen people lost their lives on the spot and the remaining succumbed to injuries at a hospital. Twenty people are still in serious condition.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the misshapen.
Earlier in October 2013 about 110 people were killed in a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state of the country. Most of the dead were women and children.
