Stampede at spiritual leader's funeral kills 18 in India
1/18/2014MUMBAI, India — Eighteen people have been killed in a stampede in Mumbai as tens of thousands gathered to mourn the death of a spiritual leader in India’s financial capital, media reports said Saturday.
At least 40 other people were injured in the pre-dawn stampede when mourners thronged the home of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the head of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community, Press Trust of India news agency said.
The spiritual leader died Friday at the age of 102.
Indian TV stations showed tens of thousands of white-clad mourners thronging the streets of Malabar Hill, an upmarket neighborhood in south Mumbai. They reported that the stampede occurred when the crowds surged forward, with many people getting crushed in the narrow streets of the area.
Police officers in Mumbai were not immediately available to confirm the reports