Five people were killed and 13 injured in a stampede at a Hindu religious fair in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, an administration official said.
The stampede took place as thousands of devotees gathered for a dip in the river Krishna, said Prabhakar Reddy, administrator of Vijaywada, 270 kilometres (165 miles) east of Andhra Pradesh state capital Hyderabad.
"Four people died while one drowned as the person lost his footing and fell into the Krishna river early this morning," Reddy said adding that 13 people were injured in the incident at a bathing area known as Krishnaveni Ghat.
"It seems somebody tripped and there was a lot of pushing which led to the stampede," he said.
The fair began Saturday and is to continue for 12 days, during which the administration expects 30 million people to take a dip at bathing points along the river banks, Reddy said.
He said the administration had 47,000 security and other personnel on duty to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival.