At Least 39 Killed in Stampede in India
The stampede took place as more than a million Hindu devotees assembled for a religious bathing festival in the Godavari River outside the town of Nasik, about 110 miles northeast of Bombay.
The town's mayor, Dashrath Patil, said 39 people were killed _ 26 of them women _ and at least 125 people were injured. Two of the injured were police officers, he said.
The bamboo fence, held together by ropes, was meant to direct traffic and funnel the crowds toward the river. Thousands of impatient pilgrims pushed into it, and the barrier collapsed, sending people spilling to the ground, survivors said.
``People, even women, were pushing forward. Due to the weight of the crowd, people started falling down,'' said Lalji Mistry, a 35-year-old pilgrim who escaped the crush. ``Old women were crying, 'Take me out. Help me.'''
Chhagan Bhujbal, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, said some 50,000 people were behind the barrier when it fell and pilgrims fell.
``People at the back just began walking on them and that's how the stampede happened,'' said Bhujbal. ``It was a tragic accident.''
Ambulances, their sirens wailing, rushed to the area as rescue workers urged the crowd to give way so the injured could be taken to hospitals.
After the stampede, tens of thousands of pilgrims continued worshipping at the festival area, which is spread across dozens of acres.
``Many don't know what's going on. They are still worshipping,'' said Mistry.
The Kumbh Mela festival is held every 12 years, timed in connection with alignments of the Sun and Jupiter. While the main festival is held near the city of Allahabad, the Nasik festival is one of the ``mini-Kumbhs'' that are held more often.
Stampedes are not uncommon at major Hindu religious festivals, which can attract millions of worshippers.
In 1999, 51 pilgrims died after a stampede caused a landslide at a Hindu shrine in southern India. The stampede began when a rope meant to channel the flow of people snapped.
In 1986, 50 people died in a stampede in the town of Haridwar and in 1954 about 800 pilgrims died during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.
The Godavari is considered sacred by Hindus, who believe they can rid themselves of sin by bathing there during special days and festivals.
Some 60 million people are estimated to take part at various times during the festival, which started July 30 and ends Sept. 1.
Police in Nasik said 1.5 million to 1.6 million people were attending the festival Wednesday.
It has been a difficult week for the people of Maharashtra state. On Monday, a pair of car bombs exploded in Bombay, the state capital, killing 51 people. Authorities have blamed Muslim militants.