sexta-feira, 14 de janeiro de 2011

Pilgrims killed in stampede at Indian festival


At least 45 pilgrims have been killed in a stampede at a religious festival in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials say.
Scores more have been injured in the crush, which was reportedly triggered by a road accident.
The pilgrims were returning from the Hindu shrine of Sabarimala, which is in a remote, mountainous, densely-forested area.
State officials said the death toll could rise.
It was not immediately clear how the stampede had begun.
The Indian PTI news agency said a jeep carrying pilgrims had driven into a crowd returning from the shrine, starting a panic.
However, the Times of India reported that the incident happened when the jeep broke down and overturned as pilgrims tried to move it.
It crushed a number of people and caused others to stumble, which then triggered the stampede, the report said. BBC News