At least 145 people have died after tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims stampeded at a remote temple in northern India.

The worshippers had flocked to the remote temple in the foothills of the Himalayas, about 155 miles northeast of New Delhi, to celebrate Shravan Navratras, that honours the Hindu goddess Shakrti.

Dozens of pilgrims fell to their deaths down the mountain when a guard rail broke and scores more died in the stampede at the Naina Devi Temple in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh state.

Many of the dead were women and children and another 37 people are in hospital after being injured in the crush.

One survivor who witnessed the stampede blamed the police.

Ramesh Kumar Saini said: "The police did not allow people to step back. Meanwhile, people started coming down from above shouting 'go back, go back'. Since the police did not allow the people to go back, this tragedy happened."

A senior government official said rumours of a landslide apparently started the panic.

Pilgrims already at the mountain shrine began running down the narrow path leading to the peak, colliding with devotees who were walking up to the temple.

With a concrete wall on one side and a precipice on the other, there was nowhere to escape and they were crushed.

Deadly stampedes are a relatively common occurrence at temples in India.

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