A stampede that occurred during an event at a mosque in northern China killed 14 people and injured at least 10 on Sunday, SFGate.com reported.
According to the state-run news agency, worshippers at Beida Mosque in Guyuan -- a city in the Ningxia region -- were handing out cakes to commemorate a deceased religious figure when a group of people rushed towards to food, triggering the stampede.
The Xinhua News Agency quoted a witness who said people were trampling over each other.
Tan Zongzhi, the head of Xiji county's religious affairs bureau, said the weekend's event had a record number of attendees this year. On Monday, a Ningxia Communist Party committee meeting cited poor organization and management as causes of the fatal incident.
Xinhua also reported that four of the 10 people injured were in critical condition.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway, Xinhua's report said.
Ningxia is a region of deserts home to China's Muslim ethnic group known as the Hui. Due to the control of religion in China, the area is known for it's government dissent.
In September, Al Jazeera reported that government officials placed a Chinese flag at a mosque in western China, forcing worshippers to bow to it as they pray. However, they were not able to independently confirm the report from officials.
