Originally published on October 14, 2013<br /><br />A stampede on a bridge in central India killed at least 115 people gathered for religious festival and injured more than 100 others, according to local police.<br /><br />The stampede occurred as thousands of pilgrims gathered to celebrate the holy festival of Dussehra at the Ratangarh temple in a forest outside the town of Datia, Madhya Pradesh.<br /><br />Officials said the stampede may have been sparked by a rumor that the bridge was about to collapse spread by a group of pilgrims hoping to jump the long line of people waiting to cross. Others said that they had heard that the bridge had been hit by a tractor and was unstable. <br /><br />Local media said the police used batons to control the crowd, prompting many people to panic. A team of 20 doctors has been sent to help, the media said.<br /><br />One survivor, Atul Chaudhary, told the BBC's Hindi service that he heard screams, and then crowds began pushing their way off the bridge. <br /><br />"Several people could be seen flattened to the ground in the midst of the melee," he said. "Some of the youngsters panicked and jumped into the swollen river. I and my friends were close to the exit point, and along with several others ran for safety."<br /><br />Emergency crews and specialist divers have been scouring the river for bodies but paused the search at nightfall on Sunday.<br /><br />Local official Sanket Bhondve said the immediate priority was to provide relief to the injured.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world. Check out our official website: http://us.tomonews.net/ <br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Stay connected with us here:<br />Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
