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At least 30 people have been killed and dozens more injured in crowd crushes at the Maha Kumbh Mela in India, where millions have gathered to bathe at the confluence of sacred rivers.
Tens of millions of people flocked to the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to immerse themselves in the water at the sacred confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers on one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu festival.
Police in Prayagraj city said in a statement that 30 pilgrims were dead and at least another 60 people were injured, and had been taken to hospital. That total is expected to rise.
The bodies were brought to a hospital morgue near the site of the festival in Prayagraj, three police sources told Reuters, putting the number at closer to 40. “More bodies are coming in. We have nearly 40 bodies here. We are transferring them out as well and handing them over to families one by one,” one of the sources said at the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College hospital.
The stampede happened when pilgrims tried to jump barricades erected for a procession of holy men, Uttar Pradesh state’s top elected official, Yogi Adityanath, said in a televised statement. The event’s main draw is the thousands of ash-smeared Hindu ascetics who make massive processions toward the confluence to bathe.
Indian authorities took more than 16 hours to release casualty figures, even as prime minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the loss of lives, calling the incident “extremely sad” and extending his condolences.
Videos showed bodies being taken away on stretchers and people sitting on the ground crying, while others stepped over a carpet of discarded belongings left by people as they tried to escape the stampede.
“I saw many people falling and getting walked on by the crowd… many children and women getting lost, crying for help,” Ravin, a devotee who gave only his first name, told Reuters.
More than 400 million pilgrims were expected to travel to Prayagraj city in Uttar Pradesh state over the course of the six-week festival, believing that bathing at the confluence of Hinduism’s three holiest rivers – the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati – washes away one’s sins.
With up to a record 100 million bathers on Wednesday, it represents the largest gathering of people anywhere on Earth.
Akanksha Rana, the officer on special duty at the event, said several people were taken to hospital after a barrier broke at the confluence.
Several eyewitnesses described being stuck between the barricades and the police force standing with batons on the other side.
Later in the day state authorities showered flower petals on the devotees from a helicopter, a use of resources that drew condemnation from members of the public.
Sarojini, a pilgrim from Karnataka state, said she was part of a group of nine people that got trapped after people in the crowd began pushing. “A lot of us fell and the crowd went uncontrolled,” the eyewitness told PTI news agency. “There was no chance for escape,” she added.
A woman who was part of the crowd but did not give her name told Asian News International that people “kept stepping” on her mother and her when they fell. “I am safe but my mother has died,” she said.
Dozens of ambulances were sent to take the injured to a medical centre inside the tent city, though they faced challenges getting through the crowds to reach those affected.
Distressed families lined up outside a makeshift hospital, desperate for news of missing loved ones. Clothes, blankets and backpacks were strewn around the site of the stampede.
Hindu religious leaders suspended their “royal bath”, a major crowd draw on Wednesday’s Mauni Amavasya – seen as the most auspicious day of the entire festival due to an alignment of celestial bodies. The day is marked by naked, ash-smeared ascetics leading a procession to the river. “All of our saints and seers were ready for the snan (bath) when we were informed about this incident. That is why we have decided to call off our snan,” said ascetic Ravindra Puri.
Millions continued to throng the 4,000-hectare (15-square mile) pilgrimage site despite the stampede, even as police urged them over megaphones to avoid the confluence. Mr Adityanath urged people to take baths at other riverbanks instead.
“The situation is now under control, but there is a massive crowd of pilgrims,” Mr Adityanath said, adding that 90 to 100 million pilgrims were at the site.
About 30 million people had taken the holy bath by 8am local time on Wednesday, he said.
The Maha Kumbh Mela festival started on 13 January. Nearly 150 million people have already attended, including Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah and celebrities like Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
A sprawling tent city has been built on the riverbanks to accommodate the millions of visitors, with roads, electricity and water, 3,000 kitchens and 11 hospitals, 145,000 toilets and about 100 car parks. Hundreds of thousands of new electricity connections have also been laid as the festival is expected to drain more power than what is consumed in a month by 100,000 urban apartments in the region.
About 50,000 security personnel are stationed in the city to maintain law and order and manage crowds, and more than 2,500 cameras monitor crowd movement and density so officials can try to prevent such crushes.
Opposition parties criticised the federal and state governments and blamed the stampede on what they alleged as “mismanagement” and a “VIP culture”. Access to the rivers has frequently been restricted for ordinary people throughout the festival to allow politicians and other dignitaries to take part in private.
“VIP culture should be curbed and the government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees,” Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party said on X (Twitter), referring to politicians and celebrities being treated differently.
Akhilesh Yadav, the biggest opponent of Mr Adityanath in the state, suggested that the administration and management of the congregation should be immediately handed over to the army.
While the Kumbh Mela is held every three years, rotating between several holy cities, the Maha Kumbh Mela is held once every 12 years. Maha means “great”, and the event attracts the most devotees because it is considered the most auspicious and holy in the cycle.
A deadly stampede also occurred at the last Maha Kumbh Mela during the busiest day of bathing. A total of 36 Hindu pilgrims died in that incident in 2013, including 27 women and an eight-year-old girl.
Hindu devotees believe taking a dip in the confluence of the rivers during the Maha Kumbh Mela absolves them of sins and brings them salvation from the cycle of life and death.
