india jharkhand state

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Stampede occurred at predawn as crowds tried to jump queues to get closer to the temple

It started at predawn hours as crowds tried to jump queues to get closer to the temple

New Delhi CNN  — 

A stampede left at least 10 people dead early Monday morning during religious celebrations in eastern India, authorities said.

The stampede occurred at a Hindu temple in Jharkhand state.

It started at predawn hours as crowds tried to jump queues to get closer to the temple, said S.Murugan, a local police superintendent.

Chaos erupted toward the end of a 50,000-person queue as crowds tried to push forward when the temple gates opened, he said.

“All this led to a stampede,” he said.

Thousands of devotees flock to the temple every August to offer holy water from the Ganges River to Lord Shiva as part of a religious tradition, Murugan said.

Stampedes are a frequent occurrence during Indian religious festivals.

Last month, dozens died in a stampede at a riverside religious festival in southern India. During that festival, crowds gather at a river bank as part of a 12-day Hindu bathing ceremony dedicated to river worship.

In 2013, more than 100 people died during a stampede on a bridge as pilgrims headed to a temple for a Hindu festival. A rumor that the bridge was about to collapse caused panicked people to stampede.

CNN’s Elizabeth Johnson and Faith Karimi contributed to this report