BREAKING: Two Dozen Killed In Stampede In India

More than 24 people have been killed and twenty others wounded Saturday in northern part of India, outskirts of Varanasi city in Uttar Pradesh, due to stampede over a crowded bridge ahead of a Hindu religious ceremony.

More than 70,000 people thronged the ashram against expected 3,000 devotees and the organizers were not prepared for such a large crowd, said police officer SK Bhagat.

Media reports reveal the stampede occurred when police started turning back the devotees from overcrowded bridge and this triggered a rumor that the bridge had collapsed.

Nineteen people lost their lives on the spot and the remaining succumbed to injuries at a hospital. Twenty people are still in serious condition.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the misshapen.

Earlier in October 2013 about 110 people were killed in a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state of the country. Most of the dead were women and children.