At least 63 people died at a crowded temple in northern India Thursday when a gate crashed to the ground, triggering a stampede, police said.
There were about 7,000 devotees at the temple in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh state, according to authorities.
The congregation was attending a memorial service and ritual feast for a woman who had died, said Satyabhushan Pathak, a state police official.
Authorities had not been informed of the gathering, said Bhupendra Chaubey, CNN-IBN's national correspondent based in India. That meant that basic security arrangements were not in place, he added.
"One of the pillars of the temple got crushed by the weight of the people, trapping many," Chaubey said.
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