A stampede at a religious gathering in southern Pakistan has killed at least 29 women and children.

More than 70 people were injured in the stampede, which occurred Sunday after a Sunni Muslim ceremony in Karachi celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.   At least 20,000 women and their children attended the ceremony.

Local officials and witnesses said the stampede began after a girl fell down in the middle of a crowd leaving a mosque.  They said a woman bent down to pick up the girl, causing others behind to trip over her.

Dozens of unconscious women and children were sent to nearby hospitals.