India temple stampede kills six

The injured were rushed to hospital

At least six devotees were killed and 12 injured in a stampede during a pilgrimage in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, officials say.

The victims - including three women - had come to witness an festival for Lord Jagannath, who is widely revered as a Hindu deity.

They died on Friday afternoon when some devotees suddenly surged forward.

The incident happened in the coastal pilgrimage city of Puri, famous for its annual Festival of Chariots.

The injured were immediately taken to hospital.

"We are trying to identify the victims," said chief temple administrator SN Panigrahi.

The BBC's Sanjaya Jena in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, says that at least one million people from different parts of the state and abroad have congregated in Puri to take part in a nine-day cultural fiesta.

Our correspondent says that despite the mishap, all the rituals of the Car festival were smoothly completed with only a short delay.

The incident happened outside the Sri Jagannath temple when statues of the deities Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were being taken out of the temple for a traditional procession.

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