Timeline: Most deadly stampedes

Many of the victims of the Nainadevi temple stampede were children

Scores of pilgrims have died in a stampede at a hilltop temple in northern India, during a Hindu religious festival. BBC News chronicles the deadliest stampedes of recent times.

12 January 2006, Mina, Saudi Arabia: At least 364 die in a crush during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Officials say the stampede happened after pieces of luggage spilled from moving buses in front of one of the entrances to the bridge of Jamarat, causing pilgrims to trip.

31 August 2005, Baghdad, Iraq: Up to 1,000 Shia pilgrims are trampled to death or drown in the Tigris river after rumours of a suicide bombing sparked panic. Many of the dead are women and children.

25 January 2005, Maharashtra state, India: Up to 300 Hindu pilgrims die in a stampede during a Hindu pilgrimage to the remote Mandhar Devi temple.

Many pilgrims are crushed and burned to death as fires in roadside stalls force crowds into a narrow stairway leading to the hilltop temple.

1 February 2004, Mina, Saudi Arabia: Some 251 pilgrims are trampled to death in a 27-minute stampede during the Hajj.

Officials say many of the victims were not authorised to participate in the Stoning of Satan ritual, after new procedures were introduced following previous stampedes.

9 May 2001, Accra, Ghana: Some 126 die in a stampede following a football match.

The tragedy takes place at the Accra Sports Stadium during the match between rival teams Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.

The Ghanaian police are blamed by many survivors for causing the stampede by firing tear gas in the packed and locked stadium, after angry demonstrations by fans of the losing side.

9 April 1998, Mina, Saudi Arabia: At least 118 pilgrims die and more than 180 are hurt during the Stoning of Satan ritual. The pilgrims, mostly from Indonesia and Malaysia, are trampled to death after panic erupts when several people fall off an overpass.

2 July 1990, Saudi Arabia: Some 1,426 pilgrims, mainly Asian, die in a huge crush in a tunnel leading to Mecca's holy sites.

The authorities say most died of asphyxiation after the tunnel's ventilation system broke down.

15 April 1989, Sheffield, England: Some 96 Liverpool supporters are crushed to death during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

Police had opened the doors at one entrance to Hillsborough Stadium to allow about 2,000 people without tickets to enter the stadium, crushing others in the stands.