The stampede occurred in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh state as tens of thousands of people pushed forward to bathe in the Godavari River during the Pushkaralu festival, said Arun Kumar, a state administrator.

The melee was triggered by some women pilgrims who were trying to retrieve their shoes, which had fallen off in the rush to the river bank, police said.

Rajahmundry is 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Hyderabad, the joint capital of Andhra Pradesh and newly created Telangana state. Nearly 24 million people are expected to take part in the 12-day festival along the Godavari River flowing through the two states.

Festival participants believe a bath in the river can rid them of their sins.

Deadly stampedes are fairly common during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety or crowd control measures.

In October 2013, a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state in central India killed more than 110 people, mostly women and children.