DHAKA: The death toll from a stampede at a Hindu festival in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has risen to 109.

Local officials have said, reports the BBC.

Many were crushed after panic broke out on a bridge near the Ratangarh temple near the town of Datia. Others died when they jumped from the bridge.

Meanwhile, funeral pyres have been burning throughout the night with many of the victims already cremated.

Hundreds of thousands had gathered for the festival of Navratra (nine nights).

Officials said the stampede may have been sparked by a rumour that the bridge was about to collapse.

‘The latest information we have from the ground is that 109 people killed and 133 were injured,’ media quoted Anand Mishra, an officer in the local police control room, as saying on Monday morning.

BDST: 1238 HRS, OCT 14, 2013
RoR/BSK