At least 19 people died in a stampede in the ancient northern city of Varanasi on Saturday, officials said.



Panic spread as hundreds of Hindu pilgrims tried to cross a bridge to a sacred site in one of the world's oldest inhabited cities, at the heart of the constituency of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



"Rumors about the bridge collapse led to chaos after a man fell down in a crowd," said police officer Javeed Ahmad.



Millions of Hindus come to Varanasi every year to pray and wash away their sins by taking a dip in the sacred river Ganges.



Modi who was hosting the a meeting of BRICS nation in coastal city of Goa expressed his condolences to the victims' families and promised help.