Up to 150 Hindu Pilgrims Die in Temple Stampede
印度发生踩踏事件140人丧生
Up to 150 Hindu pilgrims attending an annual festival have been killed in a stampede in Northern India.
在印度北部，140多名印度教朝圣者被踩踏丧生。
Officials say the tragedy occurred when a metal railing along a narrow mountain path leading to Naina Devi temple in Himahcal Pradesh state collapsed under the weight of tens of thousands of devotees who had come to attend a religious festival on Sunday.
有关官员说，这次悲剧发生在通往喜马偕尔邦奈纳德维女神殿的狭窄山路上。路旁的金属栏杆，在承受成千上万教徒的压力下断裂。这些印度教徒是前往参加星期天举行的一个宗教节日。
The temple is situated on a hilltop in the state's Bilaspur district.
奈纳德维女神殿座落在喜马偕尔邦比拉斯布尔区的一个山顶上。
Officials say the collapse of the railing triggered panic among pilgrims, and a stampede ensued as people tried to flee to safety. There are many women and children among the victims, who fell down and were trampled.
有关官员说，金属栏杆断裂引起人们惊慌失措，在人们试图逃离到安全地带时发生了踩踏事件。很多死难者是妇女和儿童，她们在混乱中被挤倒踩死。
A senior police official in Bilaspur, Bimal Gupta, says bad weather worsened the situation.
比拉斯布尔区的高级警官古普塔说，恶劣的天气使情况更加糟糕。
"At the same time there was heavy rain. People wanted to save themselves," Gupta said. "In the midst you know the stampede occurred. But the administration, the local police and Home Guards, they immediately started the rescue work within 15 minutes."
他说：“踩踏事件发生时正下着大雨。人们都想逃生。因此这时候发生了踩踏事件。但是政府、当地警察和地方志愿人员在15分钟之内就立即展开了救援工作。”
Police used a cable car to ferry down the dead and wounded from the hilltop. Helicopters aided the rescue efforts. Scores of injured people have been rushed to hospitals. As news of the stampede spread, relatives flocked in to identify the victims.
警方使用缆车将死伤者运下山。直升机协助救援努力。数十名受伤者被迅速送到医院。踩踏事件的消息传出后，亲属们纷纷前来找认死难者。
The temple was packed at the time of the tragedy . It was the second day of the nine-day long festival called Shavran Navratras, where tens of thousands gather every year to pray to a Hindu goddess. Many of the worshippers were from the neighboring state of Punjab.
这场悲剧发生时，奈纳德维女神殿内面挤满了人，当时正是为期9天的那婆罗怛罗节的第二天。每年都有成千上万的人来神殿朝拜印度女神。很多朝圣者来自临近的旁遮普邦。
Stampedes at religious festivals have occurred previously in India, where massive crowds gather on such occasions - sometimes in remote towns where the local administration is not equipped to handle large crowds. In 2005, more than 250 pilgrims were killed in a stampede near a temple in Western India.
印度过去在宗教节日期间也发生过踩踏事件，这种宗教节日吸引成千上万的人，但是有时是在边远的城镇，地方当局不具备应对大量人群的能力。2005年，在印度西部一个神殿发生的踩踏事件中，有250多名朝圣者丧生。
