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LequteMan
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A stampede on a bridge outside a Hindu temple killed over 90 people in Daita, Central Madhya Pradesh state in India, with many of the victims leaping to their deaths in the water below.
Large crowds began converging on the site from early morning, according to witnesses, as Hindus celebrate the end of the Navaratri festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga.
Police and state government officials said the stampede at the Ratangarh temple was triggered by rumours the bridge might collapse after being struck by a heavy vehicle around lunchtime.
Other police sources said that some 20,000 people were on the bridge over the River Sindh when the stampede broke out.
"The death toll has risen to 91 and 10 others are in a critical condition,'' Deputy Police Inspector D.K. Arya told AFP, adding that those in the most critical condition were being treated in Datia's Government Hospital.
Witnesses said the situation was exacerbated by police charging at the crowds with heavy wooden sticks known as lathis.
However Arya insisted "there was no baton-charge'' by the police.
Uma Shankar Gupta, the state's home minister, said authorities had not yet determined why the stampede had broken out, but downplayed suggestions that security to deal with the crowds was inadequate.
Ashok Argal, a federal lawmaker from the region, placed the blame on crowds trying to rush across the bridge.
The Times of India reported that crowds could be seen pelting police with stones as frustration grew over the rescue operation.
Efforts to reach the injured and ferry them to hospital were being hampered by the huge volume of traffic in the area.
A team of around 20 medics had however managed to reach the scene of the tragedy, and the casualty wards of nearby hospitals were being emptied to cope with the influx of victims.
The state's chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced payouts of 150,000 rupees ($2,500) to the families of those killed, and 50,000 rupees to the injured.
