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Comment From UTT:

The following article explains what happens when people are overcome by religious spiritual delusion. This phenomenon is not limited to Hinduism. Several years ago, a number of "Christians" were stomped to death when a crowd in Africa attempted to push towards the platform where a "faith healer" was standing.

By the way, the faith healer was not able to raise the people who died in the stampede back to life.

August 3 - Stampede kills 145 Hindu worshippers in India

Article: Signs And Wonders

CHANDIGARH, India (Reuters) - At least 145 people, mostly women and children, were crushed to death under the feet of thousands of pilgrims in a stampede at a temple in northern India on Sunday, police said.

Police said the pilgrims might have panicked after heavy rains caused large stones from a retaining wall along the trail to fall.

The pilgrims started fleeing down the slope, breaking an iron railing and trampling falling women and children under their feet, said Daljit Singh Manhas, a senior police officer.

"We have confirmation now that 145 people have been killed," he told Reuters. "We found eight to 10 stones which had fallen off and probably scared the people, causing the stampede." At least 40 children and 45 women were among the dead, police and health department officials said.

Thousands of worshippers had gathered at the temple in Bilaspur district, some 150 km (95 miles) north of the town of Chandigarh, to pray to the Hindu goddess Nainadevi during the annual festival.

Authorities said at last 48 other people were seriously injured and they were looking for more injured pilgrims in private clinics.

Witnesses said people had jumped over broken railings and bodies to save themselves. Children lost hold of their mothers' hands and were crushed under the feet of scared pilgrims.

Stampedes at temples are not uncommon in India, where thousands of people gather to pray during festivals. In 2005, about 265 pilgrims were killed in a stampede near a temple in the western state of Maharashtra.