Indian officials said that at least 12 people were killed and 13 were injured in a stampede at a religious shrine in the early hours of Saturday, as thousands of pilgrims gathered to offer prayers.

The tragedy occurred around 3:00 a.m. (2130 GMT) on the way to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Kashmir, one of the country's most revered Hindu sites.

A witness who spoke to AFP by phone from the scene said that "people fell over each other... It was difficult to figure out whose leg or arms were tangled with whose." 

"I helped pick up eight bodies by the time ambulances arrived after about half an hour," he added.

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According to one official, there was a rush to offer special prayers for the New Year, but this was not confirmed by others.

On his account, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi quickly expressed his regret over the incident, offering condolences to the victims' families and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of life," Modi said in a tweet, adding that he was following up with local officials on the incident's details.

Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to JK LG Shri @manojsinha_ Ji, Ministers Shri @DrJitendraSingh Ji, @nityanandraibjp Ji and took stock of the situation.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 1, 2022

More than 370 Hindus were killed in two stampedes in India in 2008. Furthermore, stampedes in Kerala in 2011 and in Madhya Pradesh two years later each killed more than 100.