Uttar Pradesh temple stampede; death toll rises to 65

Pratapgarh (Uttar Pradesh), March 4 (ANI): At least 65 people died and over 100 have injured in the Ram Janki temple stampede which occurred here on Thursday in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh District.

Devotees, including women and children, were killed in the stampede incident after a wooden gate of the temple fell on them.

There were hundreds of people present in the temple when the tragedy occurred. The incident triggered panick and devotees started rushing helter-skelter.

Some people were crushed to death under the falling gate, and as hundreds of people tried to escape through a narrow passage, many tripped and fell, and got crushed by the panicking crowd.

Local residents in Kunda village, where the temple is located, helped police carry the injured to nearby hospitals, police said.

In 2008, at least 285 people died in two temple stampedes in north India. (ANI)