Indian Hindu festival: 27 pilgrims killled

INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragic stampede at a Hindu religious bathing festival which has killed 27 pilgrims.

TENS of thousands of pilgrims taking part in a Hindu religious bathing festival surged forward, triggering a massive stampede on a riverbank in southern India, killing at least 27 and injuring dozens.

THE stampede on Tuesday along the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh stampede was triggered by some pilgrims who were trying to retrieve their shoes, which had fallen off in the rush to the riverbank, police said.