India: Stampede kills 27 pilgrims in Andhra Pradesh

At least 27 pilgrims have died in a stampede on the banks of a holy river in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Hindu pilgrims had gathered to take a dip in the Godavari River at the start of the Maha Pushkaralu festival. The stampede occurred at 08:00am (02:30 GMT) in the Rajahmundry district. Nearly 24 million pilgrims are expected to take part in the 12-day festival. Pilgrims believe that taking a bath in the river will rid them of their sins. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who bathed in the river at the festival on Tuesday morning, said in a series of tweets that he was monitoring the situation and urged people not to panic. Deadly stampedes during religious gatherings are fairly common in India. In October 2013, 115 people died during a stampede at a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Most were crushed after panic broke out on a bridge near the Ratangarh temple. Others drowned when they jumped from the bridge into river waters below, according to BBC.