NEW DELHI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 120 people were
killed and 40 injured in a panic at a famous temple in Indian north state
Himachal Pradesh Sunday, the police said.
The stampede occurred after a railing outside the
temple collapsed, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.
People stand near bodies outside the
Naina Devi temple at Bilaspur in the northern Indian state of Himachal
Pradesh August 3, 2008. The death toll in a stampede at the temple on
Sunday rose to at least 123 people, police said. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
The
crowd had gathered at the temple on the occasion of the 10-day religious fair
that began Saturday.
Most of the dead were women and children. A majority
of the victims were from neighboring Punjab state. A state government statement
Sunday evening said that 123 people were killed and 40 injured in the accident.
People crowd around bodies outside the
Naina Devi temple at Bilaspur in the northern Indian state of Himachal
Pradesh August 3, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
Rescue operations at the temple, located atop a hill,
were hit by inclement weather, the report said.
The police said the death toll could well mount
further. He said most of the injured have been taken to the hospitals.
Traffic on the road leading to the temple has been
blocked, the police said.
The temple is located 160 km from the state capital
Shimla, the popular hill resort in northern India.
