At least 32 people have died in a stampede during a religious festival in eastern India, government officials say.

State administrator Aamir Subhani says the stampede occurred on Friday in Patna, the capital of Bihar state, as thousands of people were returning home after attending a major Hindu festival, Dussehra.

Another state official, Manish Kumar, said people panicked because of rumours that an electric wire had snapped and fallen on some people near Gandhi grounds, the site of the festival.

Stampedes often occur during religious festivals in India because of huge crowds in confined places.