A stampede during a Ramadan charity handout killed a child and 22 women in Bangladesh as 1,500 desperately poor people tried to get their hands on free clothing.

The stampede in the northern city of Mymensingh erupted when crowds of people tried to force their way into a factory compound through a small gate after massing outside before dawn this morning.

Eyewitnesses reported scenes of utter devastation, with hundreds of torn and blood-spattered sandals abandoned at the gate of the chewing tobacco factory, which is located around 75 miles north of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

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Tragedy: Relatives sit with the bodies of those who died in this morning's stampede. The current death toll of 23 is expected to rise over the course of the day

Speaking of the horrific incident, Mymensingh police chief Moinul Haque said: 'We have so far recovered 23 bodies. Most of the dead are poor and emaciated women.'

Kamrul Islam, the senior officer at a police station near the factory, said the death toll was likely to rise further while local media said scores of people had also been injured.

'Some people had taken the bodies of their relatives before police arrived at the scene,' Islam said.

Many of the victims were ferried by cycle rickshaws to a nearby hospital with television footage showing relatives rushing through the entrance and corridors, cradling the lifeless bodies of their loved ones in their arms.

'My wife had gone there to collect some clothes for herself and for our children,' Mohammad Robiul, a rickshaw-puller, told the Somoy Television news channel.

'I don't know what will happen to my kids,' Robiul added before bursting into tears.

Horror: Bangladeshi relatives surround the bodies of some of those killed in a stampede at a charity handout in Mymensingh this morning. Most of the dead are 'poor emaciated women', the local police chief said

Heartbreaking: Eyewitnesses reported scenes of utter devastation, with hundreds of torn and blood-spattered sandals abandoned at the gate of the chewing tobacco factory

A witness told the bdnews24 website that the stampede began when a number of people fell to the ground as a melee erupted.

'As the gate was opening, everybody ran towards it, pushing and shoving each other and then they started falling,' an unnamed witness said.

'Once one person fell to the ground, another 15 to 20 people fell, too. The people got killed when they closed the gate.'

Police and local officials said that the owner of the factory and six other people have been arrested for failing to ensure public safety.

'Legal action will be taken against them,' District Governor Mustakim Billah told reporters.

A special police committee has been set up to investigate the tragedy and is set to report its findings within the next three days.

Panic: The stampede in the northern city of Mymensingh erupted when crowds of people tried to force their way into a factory compound through a small gate after massing outside before dawn this morning

Police said 1,500 people massed outside the factory at around 4:45 am local time after the owners announced they would distribute free clothes to poor people in accordance with Islamic ritual.

Rich Bangladeshis often distribute free clothes to poor people during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on June 19.

But the handouts have sparked several deadly stampedes over the years.

Around 40 people were killed in a similar stampede at a garment factory in the northern city Tangail in 2002.