18 Jan 2014

Eighteen die in India stampede

6:27 pm on 18 January 2014

At least 18 people have been killed, and more than 40 injured in a stampede near India's second city Mumbai.

Local police say the incident happened when crowds of mourners gathered at the home of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community who died on Friday aged 102.

Reuters reports stampedes frequently happen at religious sites in India but they are not common in big cities such as Mumbai where there is a greater police presence to monitor the flow of people.