Pakistan: 26 dead, 70 hurt in stampede

A stampede after a religious gathering for women in southern Pakistan today left at least 26 women and children dead and more than 70 others injured, police and doctors said.

The stampede occurred at an Islamic centre of a Sunni Muslim group in Karachi when thousands of women were leaving for a rally after attending the gathering, said Zahid Hussain, a Karachi police official.

He said dozens of unconscious women and children were sent to hospitals.

Doctors at two different hospitals confirmed a total of 26 dead and more than 70 injured.