A stampede at a mosque in a Muslim region of northern China killed 14 people and injured another 10, state media reported Monday.

The stampede occurred Sunday afternoon as bread was distributed to people gathered at a mosque in the rural county of Xiji to commemorate a deceased religious figure, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a report Monday.

Among the injured, four people remained in serious condition Monday, the report said. Xinhua didn't say what had caused the stampede and characterized it as an 'accident.' The report said an investigation into its cause was under way. Local government officials either declined to comment or couldn't be reached.

Xiji is located in Ningxia, a region of deserts that sits astride ancient caravan routes and is home to a Muslim ethnic group known as the Hui. The area has been largely spared the antigovernment and anti-Chinese violence that has recurred in other ethnically diverse regions in north and west China, such as Xinjiang and Tibet.

Photos posted to Chinese social networks showed a large crowd gathered outside Xiji's Bei Da mosque while men distributed traditional fried dough from flatbed trucks. The online photos couldn't be independently confirmed.

Xinhua, in a later report, quoted a witness at the scene as saying participants were trampled as they rushed to get the food being distributed.

Religious activity is controlled in China. Following a meeting on Monday, the Ningxia's Communist Party standing committee, the region's top body, said the stampede occurred in the course of legal religious activity and occurred as a result of poor organization and planning on the ground.

The region's Communist Party chief, Li Jianhua, and other senior Ningxia officials were described by Xinhua as calling on Xiji authorities to save the injured, console families impacted by the stampede and 'ensure overall social stability' in the aftermath of the incident.

Xinhua reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders in Beijing had sent instructions for local leaders in Xiji, though the news agency didn't provide additional details.

官方媒体周一报道，宁夏一座清真寺发生踩踏事故，造成14人死亡，另有10人受伤。

报道称，周日下午，部分民众到西吉县北大寺参加已故宗教人士忌日纪念活动，在为信教民众散发油香（油饼）过程中发生踩踏事故。

报道称，伤者中有4人为重伤。新华社没有披露踩踏事故发生的原因，但是将这称之为一起“意外”。报道称，事故原因正在调查中。当地一些政府官员不予置评，还有一些官员记者无法联系到。

西吉位于宁夏回族自治区。该地区基本没有出现过类似新疆和西藏等多民族聚集区发生的反政府和反华暴力事件。

从中国社交网站上贴出的照片可以看出，西吉北大寺外面聚集了大批群众，一些男子从平板车上拿出油香发放给民众。网上的照片尚未得到独立消息源证实。

新华社在稍后一篇报道中引述目击者的描述称，在为信教群众散发油香（油饼）过程中，由于群众互相拥挤，发生意外踩踏事故。

宗教活动在中国受到控制。周一宁夏回族自治区党委召开常委会议，认为西吉踩踏事故是一起正常宗教活动中因组织不力、管理不到位造成的事故。

新华社报道称，宁夏回族自治区党委书记李建华及自治区其他主要领导人作出批示，要求西吉当地政府全力抢救伤员，安抚好家属，并“确保社会大局稳定”。

新华社报道称，中国国家主席习近平和其他主要国家领导人已经向西吉当地领导作出指示，但是报道没有提供更多细节。