New Delhi: An official says a stampede during a religious ceremony in central India has left at least 10 people dead.

Senior police officer Rajesh Vyas says the stampede occurred early on Saturday when a large number of people surged forward to gain entry into a Muslim shrine, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Vyas says some pilgrims fell down and were crushed to death.

The shrine is near Ratlam, a town in Madhya Pradesh state nearly 760 kilometers southwest of New Delhi. Police in the region could not be immediately reached for details.