2 killed in stampede in eastern India

At least two people were killed and five others injured Saturday in a stampede at a religious festival in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, a senior police official said.

"The stampede broke out during the pulling of chariot of Hindu deities by devotees in the state's holy town of Puri," he said on condition of anonymity.

While two women died on the spot, those injured have been admitted to a local hospital, the official said.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, he added.

The Hindu festival of Rathyatra, pulling of chariot of deities, is being celebrated in India. During the festival, thousands of devotees pull the chariot.

Stampedes are common in India.

Nearly 30 people were killed in a stampede that broke out on the banks of a river in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh during another Hindu festival recently.