Dozens Die In Stampedes On Unlucky Day

Worshipers who gathered to pray for protection on an astrologically unlucky day were trapped in stampedes Monday at two Hindu shrines. A total of 58 people died, some crushed and others impaled on a bamboo barricade.

At least 100 others were injured, including 20 in critical condition, hospital workers said.

In Haridwar, a holy city on the banks of the Ganges River, at least 21 people were killed when pilgrims stampeded over a narrow bridge near a temple devoted to the Hindu god Shiva, local administrator Rajinder Soni said.

Several hundred miles south in Ujjain, 37 people were killed at the Mahakaleshwar temple, another site devoted to Shiva, police said.