Government officials say at least 32 people have died in a stampede during a religious festival in eastern India.

State administrator Aamir Subhani says the stampede occurred Friday in Patna, the capital of Bihar state, as thousands of people were returning home after attending a major Hindu festival, Dussehra. Another state official, Manish Kumar, said people panicked because of rumors that an electric wire had snapped and fallen on some people near Gandhi grounds, the site of the festival. Stampedes often occur during religious festivals in India because of huge crowds in confined places.

Dussehra celebrations at the Gandhi Maidan are the biggest in Patna and people turn up in huge numbers to watch the burning of effigies here. The event is organised by government officials every year. Officials say some people fainted during the stampede and were rushed to the Patna Medical College Hospital, which is just two kilometres from the site of the incident.

This report was compiled with inputs from the Associated Press.