Jakarta – At least 21 people were killed in a stampede in Indonesia on Monday as they crowded an alley to receive a cash handout for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said.

Another 11 people were injured in the crush as thousands packed the narrow sidestreet in Pasuruan, East Java province, to receive a cash gift of 30,000 rupiah (3.30 dollars) each from a rich family, police said.

"Some 21 people were killed and 11 people were injured," local police chief Adu Sunarto said.

Muslims are supposed to abstain from eating, drinking and having sex from dawn to dusk during Ramadan. At night they break their fast with relatively lavish family meals that often include expensive treats.

Cash handouts are a common form of charity favoured by wealthy Indonesians during the holy month.

"It's an annual activity from that family but there were a lot more people lining up today than in previous years," Pasuruan mayor Aminurrahman told ElShinta radio.

He said there were at least 2,500 people in the alley when the stampede began for unknown reasons.