WASHINGTON: A Fourth of July parade turned into a tragedy in the Midwestern state of Iowa when two horses pulling a carriage went out of control and trampled 24 people, many of them children, US media reported.

One person was killed, and some of the other injuries were severe, the reports said.

The incident occurred in Bellevue, a town of 2,300 people on the bank of the Mississippi River when the horses pulling a buggy got scared and charged into the crowd.

"They took off down the street uncontrollably," Bellevue fire chief Chris Roling told The New York Times. "They went about six blocks -- the horses and the carriages behind them, running over children and adults along the parade route."

An estimated 10,000 people were attending the parade when the incident occurred, the reports said.

BDST: 12:19 HRS, July 5, 2010