21 women and children killed in stampede

LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- Thousands of people crowding into a park for a politician's birthday celebration caused a stampede that left 21 women and children dead, officials said.
The stampede today came a few weeks ahead of parliamentary elections in Lucknow, the capital of India's politically crucial Uttar Pradesh state and the constituency of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Thousands of people, mostly women, had gathered under a huge white canopy to celebrate the birthday of Lalji Tandon, the state's opposition leader -- and to receive saris being given to poor women.
The stampede began when rumors spread through the crowd that there were no more saris to give away.
The dead included eight women aged 45 to 60 years and seven young girls who had lined up to receive saris, said Dr. Lalit Saxena, one of the doctors who took the bodies to three city hospitals.