A tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India claimed the lives of at least 30 people and left many others injured early Wednesday, according to police. The incident occurred as millions of Hindu pilgrims gathered for a ritual bath at the confluence of three rivers in Prayagraj.
Police official Vaibhav Krishna reported that 60 people sustained injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment. The stampede took place on a particularly auspicious day in the six-week-long festival, with authorities estimating a turnout of 100 million devotees seeking spiritual purification through the holy dip.
According to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the chaos began when pilgrims attempted to bypass barricades set up for a procession of revered Hindu ascetics. These processions, a major attraction of the event, feature ash-covered sadhus making their way to the sacred waters.
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Despite the scale of the tragedy, Indian officials took over 16 hours to release casualty figures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief, calling the incident "deeply saddening" and offering condolences to the victims' families.
A witness named Sarojini told the Press Trust of India that the crowd suddenly became uncontrollable. "We were trapped with people pushing from all sides. Many fell, and there was no way to escape," she recounted.
Distraught relatives gathered outside a temporary hospital, anxiously searching for missing loved ones. The aftermath of the chaos was evident at the site, where personal belongings such as clothes, blankets, and bags lay scattered.
Despite police urging people to avoid the main confluence, millions of devotees continued arriving at the 4,000-hectare festival grounds. Adityanath assured that the situation was under control but acknowledged the overwhelming number of attendees. By 8 a.m. Wednesday, around 30 million people had already completed their ritual bath.
The Maha Kumbh festival, which occurs every 12 years, began on January 13, with an estimated 400 million expected to participate throughout its duration. So far, nearly 150 million people, including top officials like Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and international celebrities like Coldplay’s Chris Martin, have visited the site.
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A massive tent city has been set up to accommodate pilgrims, featuring roads, electricity, water facilities, 3,000 kitchens, and 11 hospitals. Authorities have deployed 50,000 security personnel and installed 2,500 surveillance cameras to monitor crowd movements and prevent disasters.
However, critics from opposition parties blamed the tragedy on mismanagement and alleged that VIP treatment for politicians and celebrities worsened crowd control issues. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi urged the government to improve arrangements for ordinary devotees.
The Maha Kumbh festival is one of the most significant religious events for Hindus, who make up nearly 80% of India’s 1.4 billion population. The event is also politically important for Modi’s government, which emphasizes Hindu cultural heritage.
Stampedes have occurred at previous Maha Kumbh gatherings. In 2013, a similar tragedy at a Prayagraj train station left 40 pilgrims dead. More recently, in July, at least 116 people—mostly women and children—lost their lives in a stampede at a religious event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district.