India: Christians mourn stampede victims

Christians have expressed their shock at the deaths of around 150 Hindu pilgrims in one of India's worst ever temple stampedes on Sunday.

The stampede at the Naina Devi shrine in Himachal Pradesh occurred when rumours of a landslide sent tens of thousands of devotees trekking up to the shrine into panic.

The pilgrims were on their way to offer prayers and flowers as part of the annual nine-day festival of Shravan Navratras.

Women and children account for around half of the dead, officials say. Many of the deceased are believed to be from neighbouring Punjab and the capital New Delhi.

Punjab's chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal, said that relatives of the dead and injured would receive compensation.

Christians were amongst those to express their shock at the deaths. The Global Council of Indian Christians said in a statement that it "mourns the sad death of Hindu pilgrims gathered for the rituals and extends [its] heartfelt condolences to the kith and kin of the stampede victims".