16 people were killed in a stampede in the holy town of Haridwar, northern India.
50 people were also injured in the temple, where a large number of worshippers gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a Hindu sec founder’s birthday.
The ceremony was held for Sri Ram Sharma, who set up the Gayatri Parivar sect.
According to reports, more worshippers attended than the place could accommodate.
“More worshippers turned up than the place could accommodate and so the stampede occurred,” a senior local official, D Santhel Pandiyan, told the AFP news agency.
When the ritual took place, the crowd rushed forward to deliver their offerings.
Hemant Sahu, who works for the event organisers, told AFP: “Too many people rushed forward to make their offerings to the holy fire and the crowd got out of control.”
Reports say that the victims were pushed to the ground, but the worshippers continued to move forward.
Many women and children are said to be among those left dead or injured.
