At least 27 people crushed to death at Hindu gathering in northern India | India

At least 27 people were crushed to death and several others injured at a Hindu gathering in northern India, and there are fears the death toll could rise, government doctors said.

“We have received 27 bodies so far… more bodies are coming,” said Uttar Pradesh state chief medical officer Ram Mohan Tiwari.

In the city of Hathras, 140 kilometers southeast of Delhi, crowds gathered to celebrate the Hindu deity Shiva.

Umesh Kumar Tripathi, the chief medical officer, told reporters that the dead included 25 women and two men. “Many injured people have also been admitted,” Tripathi said. “The main reason is a stampede during a religious event.”

During major religious festivals in India, fatal accidents in places of worship are common.

At least 112 people were killed in a massive explosion in 2016 caused by illegal fireworks at a temple celebrating the Hindu New Year. The blast tore through concrete buildings and ignited a fire at a temple complex in the state of Kerala where thousands had gathered.

In 2013, 115 devotees died in a collision on a bridge near a temple in Madhya Pradesh.

Up to 400,000 people had gathered in the area. The crush occurred after rumors emerged that the bridge was about to collapse.

In 2008, around 224 pilgrims were killed and over 400 others injured in a crush at a hilltop temple in the northern Indian city of Jodhpur.