Indian temple stampede leaves 60 dead*

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At least 60 people, more than half of them children, were crushed to
death in a stampede that broke out at a Hindu temple in northern India
on Thursday as thousands jostled with each other to get free clothes and
food, officials said.


Published: 11:33AM GMT 04 Mar 2010


Indian temple stampede leaves 60 dead


The force of the stampede was so great that it knocked down a gate at
the temple compound in Kunda, a small town 110 miles south-east of
Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.


About 44 worshippers were injured in the crush of people at a Hindu
temple belonging to a popular local religious leader, said Ashok Kumar,
a senior government official.


Nearly 10,000 farmers and villagers had gathered at the temple around
noon to receive free goods to mark the anniversary of the death of the
wife of the religious leader, Kripalu Maharaj, said Brij Lal, a local
police official.


By late afternoon, police had cleared the compound and started the
process of identifying the bodies, Mr Kumar said.


Hundreds of people gathered at a nearby hospital for news of family members.


"She had just wandered in to see what was happening," said Gudal, a
38-year-old farmer whose 7-year-old daughter, Ranjana, was killed.
Gudal, who uses only one name, wept as she spoke.


Deadly stampedes are a relatively common occurrence at temples in India,
where large crowds - sometimes hundreds of thousands of people -
congregate in small areas lacking facilities to control big gatherings.


In 2008, more than 145 people died in a stampede at a remote Hindu
temple at the foothill of the Himalayas.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -dead.html