Stampede at Pakistan religious gathering kills 26

KARACHI, Apr 9 (Reuters) At least 26 women and children were killed in a stampede after a religious gathering in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi today, witnesses said.

A Reuters correspondent counted the bodies of 14 women and five children in Karachi's Liaquat National Hospital. Seven more bodies were brought to another hospital of the city.

''A girl was coming out of the mosque ... when she fell down, triggering a stampede,'' police official Zahid Hussain said. As she fell she had cried out, sparking the panic.

Hussain said thousands of women were gathered at the mosque with their children to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, which falls on Tuesday.

Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim nation and to mark the anniversary people hold big gatherings in mosques, attend rallies and sing religious hymns.

REUTERS SY RK2005