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At least 18 killed in stampede as thousands mourn Muslim leader's death in Mumbai Stampede at Mumbai funeral leaves 18 dead as as thousands mourn Muslim leader's death
(about 4 hours later)
At least 18 people have died in a stampede in Mumbai as tens of thousands gathered to mourn the death of a Muslim spiritual leader. At least 18 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a stampede in India today, as tens of thousands of mourners gathered in the early hours to pay their last respects to a spiritual leader.
An estimated 40 people were also injured when the gates of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s home were shut on the heaving crowds at around 1am on Saturday. White-clad crowds had gathered in Malabar Hill, an affluent area in the south of Mumbai, to visit the house of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, head of the Dawoodi Bohra muslim community, who died on Friday, aged 102.
Satya Pal Singh, Mumbai’s Police Commissioner, said the mourners surged forward, with many people getting crushed near the gates with no way to escape. By around 1am today, the streets were reportedly still filled with wailing and crying mourners, inching their way forward through the narrow road.
“We didn't think the crowd would be so great,” he added. “Also, it's an emotional occasion when police cannot take harsh measures to push back the crowd.” Mumbai police commissioner, Satyapal Singh, said the tragedy happened when the gates leading to the spiritual leader’s house were closed. Many people were crushed with no way to escape.
Mr Singh acknowledged that crowd management around the Syedna's home was poor and said police at the scene were outnumbered. Mr Singh said crowd management around the Syedna’s house was poor, and the police were badly overwhelmed by the huge number of mourners. “We didn’t think the crowd would be so great,” he added. “Also, it’s an emotional occasion when police cannot take harsh measures to push back the crowd.”
Syedna Burhanuddin was the head of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and died on Friday at the age of 102. Most of the deaths were due to suffocation, according to reports. “The roads were narrow ... it led to suffocation. It was difficult for the people to breathe. Some people fell unconscious. Gates were closed, after which some people fell on each other,” Mr Singh was quoted as saying in The Times of India.  
He succeeded his father in 1965 and led the community for nearly five decades, building a reputation as a promoter of education and spiritual values. “All of a sudden the queues got mixed and confusion followed. One of my relatives passed away in the stampede,” Qaid Najmi told The Indian Express. “The lanes in Malabar Hill are very narrow and when the stampede broke out there was little space for movement.”
Tens of thousands of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims from all over India and other countries headed to Mumbai for his funeral later in the day. Hours later, the body of the Syedna had been placed in a flower-adorned casket draped with the national flag and was carried through the streets, escorted by police officers.
Shops and businesses owned by Bohra Muslims across Mumbai were closed Saturday as a mark of respect. Prior to that, the Mumbai traffic control department had reportedly issued a notice asking people to avoid the procession route. 
Deadly stampedes are fairly common during India's religious gatherings and festivals, where large crowds often gather in small areas with few safety or crowd control measures. Syedna Burhanuddin succeeded his father in 1965 to lead the Dawoodi Bohra community. He was well known as a promoter of education and spiritual values.
In October, more than 110 people were killed in a stampede at a Hindu festival in Madhya Pradesh, in central India, and more than 220 people were crushed at the Chamunda Devi Hindu temple inside Jodhpur's picturesque Mehrangarh Fort in 2008. Tens of thousands of Dawoodi Bohra muslims from across India and around the world headed to Mumbai for his funeral yesterday. Across the city, shops and businesses owned by Bohra muslims were closed as a tribute to the leader, who died after a cardiac arrest. Thousands joined hands to form a human chain along local roads.
Additional reporting by AP India’s Vice-President, Mohammad Hamid Ansari, was said to have been “deeply grieved” at the Syedna’s death. “During his long and illustrious life, he championed the causes of education and healthcare, besides giving an unstinting support for environmental conservation and protection. We have lost a living symbol of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence,” he said. “I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and the entire Dawoodi Bohra community.”
Deadly stampedes are fairly common during India’s often chaotic religious gatherings and festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety or crowd-control measures. In October last year, 115 people were crushed in a stampede at a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. In 2011, more than 100 died at a festival in the southern state of Kerala. Inside Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh Fort, more than 220 people were killed in 2008 in a stampede at the Chamunda Devi Hindu temple.