New Delhi  - A day after a stampede at a Hindu temple, police in the north-western Indian town of Jodhpur said the death toll was likely to rise to more than 190.

"We put the death toll at 147 on Tuesday, but many victims whose bodies were taken home directly from the accident site and were not admitted to hospital were not included," Jodhpur police chief Rajeev Dasod said.

"Relatives have been reporting the deaths and we are carrying out a house-to-house survey after which we estimate the toll should be 40 to 50 higher," Dasod said, adding that the exact figure would be available later in the day.

The stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple was most likely caused after one of the devotees slipped on the 70-75-metre ramp leading to the hilltop shrine and fell on other pilgrims, causing a cascading effect in which most of the victims were crushed, trampled and suffocated, he said.

Dasod said most of the injured had been released from hospitals and 42 were still being treated. "The condition of three is serious according to the doctors but they are responding to treatment," he added.

All the victims of Tuesday's accident were men as women had a separate queue about 100 metres apart from the men. At the time of the accident there were at least
15,000 people in the vicinity of the temple.

Dasod claimed that more than 100 policemen, including several officials, were posted at the shrine to regulate the huge crowds that gather annually on the first day of the nine-day Navratri festival dedicated to the mother goddess Durga or Chamunda.

"We were allowing regulated entry, about 500 people at a time. It was an accident," Davod said, adding that the judicial probe ordered by the state government would have to be completed before an assessment of what actually happened could be made.

The temple was reopened to devotees on Wednesday but they were being allowed in one by one, the official said. At least 1,000 pilgrims had visited the temple since the morning, Davod said, adding that the temple would be opened from Thursday as usual.

"We are holding a meeting with the temple trustees today and will decide on further security and crowd control measures," he said.

The 500-year-old temple, located at a hilltop within the 15th century Mehrangarh fort, is a popular destination in Jodhpur, a prominent city in India's Rajasthan state located about 350 kilometres west of the state capital Jaipur.

It is owned by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust of the former maharaja of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh. The trust allows devotees free access to the temple during the Navratra festival.

Families across the city were mourning, several having lost more than one relative, NDTV television channel reported. (dpa)