Forensic samples taken from a weapon allegedly used to kill two British backpackers in Thailand do not match the two men on trial for the killing, a court has heard.

The bodies of two British backpackers murdered on a beach in Thailand were found partially naked near blood spattered rocks, a Thai court has heard.

The death toll from a stampede at a Hindu festival in western India climbed above 250 today as police searched for the pilgrims who set fire to shops along a crowded walkway, triggering the panicked crush.

Thousands of Hindus panicked during a religious procession in western India today, triggering a stampede that killed at least 150 people, a local official said.