One man died and over 200 people were hurt after thousands rushed the gates of a stadium offering a live fish cure for asthma.
Police said that the stadium at Hyderabad in India hadn't been prepared for the enormous number of people — estimated to be around 70,000 — who turned up for the 'miracle' treatment, which involves swallowing a live fish smeared with a special paste, that they believe will cure their illness.
When the entry gates opened on Friday morning there was a huge rush of patients, some of whom had been waiting for treatment since the early hours.
65-year-old Gorakh Patil from Maharashtra died in the stampede and many more people were injured, some of whom needed hospital treatment.
The Goud family's secret herbal formula is said to have been received from a Hindu saint 170 years ago. The yellow paste is smeared onto a live sardine or murrel, which the patient then swallows.
Despite criticism from doctors, thousands of people with breathing difficulties turn up for the treatment, which is offered once a year in June on a day chosen by astrologers.
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