Stampede kills 145 at Hindu temple in India

NEW DELHI (AP) -- Police say the death toll in the deadly stampede at a Hindu temple in northern India has risen to 145.NEW DELHI (AP) -- Pilgrims stampeded at a mountaintop Hindu temple in northern India on Sunday, among them 68 women and children -- were killed in the crush that sent worshippers plummeting to their deaths over a broken railing.

As thens of thousands of people were walking up the hill, a railing on the mountain path collapsed during the crush, sending dozens of people over the edge, police said. Television channels showed blurred pictures of the lifeless bodies of several small children, apparently lying at the bottom of the path.Verma said the stampede may have been sparked by rumors of a landslide, but it was made worse when too many pilgrims tried to squeeze onto the narrow path.

Deadly stampedes are a relatively common occurrence at temples in India, where large crowds -- sometimes hundreds of thousands of people -- congregate in small areas lacking the facilities to control such big gatherings.

Sunday was the second day of the festival and authorities sought to reassure other pilgrims. "There is no need to panic, everything is normalized now," Verma said.

Astaroth: Normalized,,,yeah sure for India !