In a tragic incident at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, a stampede occurred early Wednesday morning as millions of Hindu pilgrims rushed towards the confluence of the sacred Ganges and Yamuna rivers. Government officials reported that the rush resulted in some individuals sleeping on the ground being trampled, and a barrier giving way in the process.
The Kumbh Mela, which takes place every 12 years, draws immense crowds of worshippers who believe that bathing at this holy meeting point, alongside the mythical Sarasvati river, washes away their sins and enables them to achieve salvation. This year’s event, referred to as the “Maha” or Great Kumbh, sees an even greater turnout due to favorable celestial alignments, with the Uttar Pradesh state government estimating an attendance of around 400 million people over the festival’s six-week duration.
To manage the influx, a temporary city was constructed along the Ganges, replete with tents, toilets, thoroughfares, pontoon bridges, and facilities for waste management. However, the risk associated with gargantuan crowds has been a recurrent issue at the Kumbh Mela. In 2013, a devastating crowd crush claimed 42 lives and injured nearly 45 others at a train platform, prompting authorities to enhance safety measures significantly.
This year, despite the implementation of advanced monitoring technology to control crowd movements and the presence of police for safety, excitement and rush drew crowds into the river areas, something that event staff encouraged via public address systems. Unfortunately, police were unable to clear bathers before the surge, leading to the tragic stampede.
Updates on the incident are ongoing as authorities assess the situation and the safety measures in place.
Hari Kumar, a veteran journalist based in New Delhi, and Anupreeta Das, covering India and South Asia for The Times, reported the situation as it unfolds.
