15 people were killed in a stampede during the Maha Kumbh Mela (Great Pitcher Festival) in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. At least 10 others have been injured in the incident. The incident occurred early on Wednesday (January 29), confirmed officials. A massive crowd of hundreds of thousands had gathered at the Kumbh Mela to perform the holy bath, which led to the stampede.
Drone footage shows millions of devotees shoulder to shoulder, arriving in the early morning darkness for the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh Mela to perform the holy bath.
In the video after the stampede, the bodies of the victims can be seen being carried away on stretchers, while many others are sitting on the ground, crying. Some are walking over abandoned belongings in an attempt to escape the intense crowd.
A witness told Liberty News that they saw several bodies and noticed many ambulances rushing towards the riverbank. Officers have stated that the first stampede occurred at 1 AM, but no accidents took place at that time.
Witnesses reported that they saw many children and women getting lost and screaming for help during the incident. The authorities have deployed a special unit, the Rapid Action Force (RAF), to bring the situation under control and carry out rescue operations.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and urged the immediate activation of relief efforts.
The world’s largest human gathering, this Hindu festival has already seen nearly 148 million participants in the past two weeks. Officials had anticipated that around 100 million people would come for the holy bath on this day, as it marked the most auspicious occasion due to a rare alignment of the Milky Way, which happens once every 144 years.
Hindu devotees believe that bathing in the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati River cleanses them of their sins and frees them from the cycle of birth and death.
Sadhu Ravi Shankar Puri stated that all our sannyasis and saints were prepared for the holy bath, but upon hearing about the incident, we decided to cancel our bath. The authorities had made extensive preparations for such a massive gathering, including enhanced security, medical personnel, and special train and bus services. Additionally, artificial intelligence software was used for crowd management.
Liberty News’ international correspondent reports that a similar stampede occurred during the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2013, in which at least 36 devotees were killed, most of whom were women.
LND/SAKIB
