NEW DELHI: Six people died at a Hindu temple in India`s coastal state of Goa after thousands gathered for a popular fire-walking ritual.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement that he was `deeply saddened by the tragic stampede` at Lairai Devi temple in the village of Shirgao in the early hours of Saturday morning.

`Six people died even before they could be brought to hospital,` Sawant told reporters.

He visited the hospital and said that `all possible support` would be given to the families of those killed or injured. Vishwajit Rane, Goa state`s health minister, said `approximately 80` people were injured.

`Five are critical and on ventilator support, while the remaining are being treated in the specially created emergency ward,` he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s office expressed `condolences to those who lost their loved ones`.

The Lairai Zatra is a key Hindu celebration in Goa and is marked by a fire-walking ceremony.

Deadly stampedes are notoriously common in Indian religious festivals.

Earlier this year, 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.-AFP