At least 27 people were killed and dozens injured Tuesday in a stampede during a Hindu religious bathing festival on a river bank in southern India.
The stampede occurred in Andhra Pradesh state as tens of thousands of people pushed forward to bathe in the Godavari River on the first day of the Pushkaralu festival, said Arun Kumar, a state administrator.
The stampede was triggered by some pilgrims who were trying to retrieve their shoes, which had fallen off in the rush to the river bank, police said.
The stampede happened in the morning hours after the 12 day festival had just started.
One witness told AFP that the stampede lasted nearly 20 minutes and it took the police more than an hour to calm the situation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his twitter account to express his grieve over the tragedy
Deeply pained at the loss of lives due to stampede at Rajahmundry. My condolences to the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 14, 2015
In October 2013, a stampede in Madhya Pradesh in central india killed more than 110 people.
Deadly stampede are fairly common during Indian religious festivals because of the large crowds that gather in small areas with few safety measures.
