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129 temple stampede victims identified
NEW DELHI, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Up to 129 of the 146 people, who died in a temple stampede in northern India, had been identified, officials said Monday.
The bodies of those identified were returned to relatives, the Press Trust of India reported.
Tragedy struck Sunday at the hilltop Naina Devi Temple, honoring Hindu goddess Sati in Bilaspur district in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh.
The pilgrims had been walking up the 2.5-mile path leading to the hilltop temple to celebrate the 10-day Shravan Ashtami, when the stampede began.
Authorities say they believe it started after rumors of a landslide.
The PTI report said at least 146 people, including 30 children and 38 women, were killed and more than 50 others injured. Most of the victims were from the neighboring state of the Punjab.
It was the second such incident at the shrine, the PTI report said. In 1981, 53 pilgrims died after a similar stampede.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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