India festival stampede kills 18 women and children

PATNA: At least 18 women and children were killed and more than a dozen people seriously hurt in a stampede when a makeshift rope bridge collapsed at a Hindu festival in eastern India, police said.

The incident in the city of Patna, near the holy Ganges river, occurred late Monday as thousands of devotees rushed to offer prayers to the setting sun as part of the Hindu ritual of Chhath.

Officials said large crowds were also expected at sunrise on Tuesday, despite the tragedy caused by the latest stampede to afflict a religious event in India.

Groups of stunned people, some sobbing and wailing, gathered in the night outside the Patna Medical College and Hospital where many of the victims were ferried.

Patna police superintendent Jayant Kant said that a total of 18 people were confirmed dead -- 10 women and eight children -- but that the toll was likely to rise as several other devotees were reported missing at the site. (AFP)