Stampede kills dozens of pilgrims

At least 24 people have been killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a Hindu religious ceremony in northern India, according to police. Saturday’s crush happened on the outskirts of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh state known for its temples, as people tried to cross a crowded bridge over the Ganges river. Police […]

At least 24 people have been killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a Hindu religious ceremony in northern India, according to police.
Saturday’s crush happened on the outskirts of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh state known for its temples, as people tried to cross a crowded bridge over the Ganges river.
Police officer SK Bhagat said that organisers were expecting 3,000 Hindu devotees at the ceremony, but that more than 70,000 thronged the ashram of a local Hindu religious leader, Jai Baba Gurudev, on the banks of the Ganges river.
Millions of Hindus go to Varanasi every year to pray and wash away their sins by taking a dip in the river. “We were not prepared for such a large crowd,” Raj Bahadur, a spokesman for the organisers, told the AP news agency.