LUCKNOW: A stampede at a religious gathering in northern India killed 12 people Saturday as thousands of devotees of a controversial guru tried to cross a bridge at once, police said.
The followers of Jai Gurudev, a leader of a local religious sect, had gathered in Varanasi, a Hindu holy town in Uttar Pradesh state, when the deadly stampede broke out.
"We can confirm that 12 people have been killed and five others are seriously injured. We are monitoring the situation," Daljeet Chaudhary, the additional director general of police, told reporters in state capital Lucknow.
The injured have been taken to hospitals while senior district administration officials rushed to the site to assess the situation.
State police chief Javeed Ahmed blamed overcrowding on the bridge for the disaster.
"They had sought permission for 5,000 persons but many more people reached and joined the procession," Ahmed told India's NDTV news network.
"They were crossing a bridge when some rumour mongering happened which led to the disaster."
TV footage showed colourful clothing and slippers piled one on top of the other with policemen trying to clear the debris.
"There was a lot of chaos, all of us were pushed and shoved. Many people have died including my mother," a witness told reporters.
Stampedes at India's religious festivals, where a mixture of police and volunteer stewards are often overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crowds, are not uncommon.
Last July, a stampede on the banks of a holy river killed 27 pilgrims in southern India.
Around 115 people were killed in October 2013 at a stampede near a temple in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, site of another deadly stampede there seven years earlier.
Jai Gurudev, who died in 2012, is among several charismatic self-styled "godmen" who enjoy cult-like following among thousands of followers.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the loss of lives in the latest incident.
"I have spoken to officials & asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected due to the stampede in Varanasi," Modi tweeted.
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