In a tragic incident at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India, dozens of individuals lost their lives in a pre-dawn stampede, according to police sources, as millions gathered to immerse themselves in the holy river waters on the most significant day of a six-week Hindu celebration.
State officials reported that at least 30 people were confirmed dead, with 60 others sustaining injuries in the chaos. Three police sources and a Reuters eyewitness indicated that the death toll may be closer to 40.
Reuters reported counting 39 bodies located within the local hospital’s morgue. One police source, alongside a fourth officer, confirmed that all 39 were victims of the stampede, with claims from the three sources that nearly 40 bodies had been received at the morgue.
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“More bodies are arriving. We have almost 40 bodies here. We are transferring them out and returning them to families one by one,” disclosed one source.
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Rescue teams were seen maneuvering through heaps of clothing, shoes, and other personal items while carrying victims from the accident site.
Police were observed transporting stretchers draped in thick blankets with the bodies of the deceased.
Security personnel attempted to control the crowd after the stampede.
A senior police official informed reporters that 90 individuals were hospitalized following the stampede, among whom 30 died while the remainder received treatment.
Heartbroken relatives lined up to identify their loved ones who were killed in the stampede, which occurred as crowds surged towards the confluence of three rivers, a location revered for its sacredness.
Witnesses described a tremendous push that led to devotees falling on one another, while others noted that blocked routes to the water caused a dense crowd to halt, resulting in people collapsing from suffocation.
“There was chaos, everyone began pushing, pulling, and climbing over each other. My mother collapsed… then my sister-in-law. People trampled over them,” recounted one woman from an ambulance with her relatives’ bodies.
Another woman held the police accountable for the deaths of four family members.
“The police failed to make adequate arrangements. They are to blame for this,” she lamented.
The state government commended the police for their response and stated it “swiftly and effectively prevented a potential catastrophe”.
“The police acted promptly to restore calm and ensure the safety of pilgrims, significantly minimizing the impact of the situation,” read the initial official statement from authorities regarding the stampede.
Police personnel congregate around the crowd at the site of the stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended condolences to “devotees grieving the loss of their loved ones” without disclosing a specific death count.
Officials anticipate that the Hindu festival will attract around 400 million attendees overall, contrasting with the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, which attracted 1.8 million last year.
Since its commencement two weeks ago, officials reported that nearly 200 million people have participated in the festival, with over 57 million taking a holy dip today.
Devout Hindus believe that diving at the confluence of the three sacred rivers — the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical, unseen Saraswati — cleanses one of sins, and during the Kumbh, offers liberation from the cycle of life and death.
Mr. Modi is expected to visit the festival next month.
Authorities had projected that a record 100 million people would visit the temporary township in Prayagraj today, leading to the deployment of additional security and medical personnel, along with AI-software-based technology to manage the crowd.
A Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialized police unit designated for emergencies, was dispatched to regain control following the stampede, and the ‘holy dips’ were closely monitored, with devotees given priority, allowing ascetics to begin their processions only after the crowd lessened.
Police carry injured individuals away on stretchers for treatment.
Television footage captured numerous ascetics, adorned with holy ash or dressed in saffron, progressing towards the confluence, closely observed by security personnel and dense crowds, as helicopters showered floral petals from above.
Social media posts highlighted severe traffic congestion on routes leading into Prayagraj as authorities attempted to manage the crowd, leaving many visitors stranded.
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“I planned this trip for over a year, but I’ve been stuck in traffic for 19 hours,” shared American travel blogger Drew Binsky on Instagram, where he has over 1.2 million followers.
Opposition parties criticized the stampede, attributing it to perceived government “mismanagement” and a culture of “VIP preferential treatment”.
Pilgrims gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
“The culture of VIP treatment should be curtailed, and the government must arrange better provisions to cater to the needs of ordinary devotees,” stated Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, on X, referring to the differential treatment of politicians and celebrities.
A similar incident during the last occurrence of the festival in 2013 resulted in the death of at least 36 pilgrims on this auspicious day.
