The death toll from a stampede at a Hindu festival
in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has
risen to 109, local officials have said.
Many were crushed after panic broke out on a bridge
near the Ratangarh temple near the town of Datia.
Others died when they jumped from the bridge.
Meanwhile, funeral pyres have been burning
throughout the night with many of the victims already
cremated.
Hundreds of thousands had gathered for the festival of
Navratra (nine nights).
Officials said the stampede may have been sparked by
a rumour that the bridge was about to collapse.
"The latest information we have from the ground is
that 109 people killed and 133 were injured," news
agency AFP quoted Anand Mishra, an officer in the local
police control room, as saying on Monday morning.
"We recovered the bodies from the river and from
where they were crushed to death," Mr Mishra added.
The accident happened at about 09:00 (03:30 GMT) on
Sunday. The victims were mostly women and children,
officials said.
The narrow bridge is about 500m long and had only
recently been rebuilt following another stampede in
2007.
Local official Sanket Bhondve said the immediate
priority was to provide relief to the injured.
Hindu festivals in India are notorious for deadly
stampedes.
In the past year, dozens have died in three similar
tragedies.
In 2011 more than 100 died at a festival in the
southern state of Kerala.
Inside Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort, more than 220
people were killed in 2008 in a stampede at the
Chamunda Devi Hindu temple
in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has
risen to 109, local officials have said.
Many were crushed after panic broke out on a bridge
near the Ratangarh temple near the town of Datia.
Others died when they jumped from the bridge.
Meanwhile, funeral pyres have been burning
throughout the night with many of the victims already
cremated.
Hundreds of thousands had gathered for the festival of
Navratra (nine nights).
Officials said the stampede may have been sparked by
a rumour that the bridge was about to collapse.
"The latest information we have from the ground is
that 109 people killed and 133 were injured," news
agency AFP quoted Anand Mishra, an officer in the local
police control room, as saying on Monday morning.
"We recovered the bodies from the river and from
where they were crushed to death," Mr Mishra added.
The accident happened at about 09:00 (03:30 GMT) on
Sunday. The victims were mostly women and children,
officials said.
The narrow bridge is about 500m long and had only
recently been rebuilt following another stampede in
2007.
Local official Sanket Bhondve said the immediate
priority was to provide relief to the injured.
Hindu festivals in India are notorious for deadly
stampedes.
In the past year, dozens have died in three similar
tragedies.
In 2011 more than 100 died at a festival in the
southern state of Kerala.
Inside Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort, more than 220
people were killed in 2008 in a stampede at the
Chamunda Devi Hindu temple
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