Stampede At Kumbh Mela: Many killed in Crowd Crush at World’s Largest Religious Festival

(News Diaries)— Multiple people were killed in a crowd crush at the world’s largest religious gathering in India early Wednesday. Tens of millions of devotees participated in this festival. They went to take bathe in a river on one of its most sacred days according to hindu religion.

The festival’s special executive officer said a barrier near the river broke. Throngs of people were walking toward the riverbanks. They intended to take their holy dip as part of the Maha Kumbh Mela in the Indian city of Prayagraj.

An official source at a local hospital told CNN they had received 14 bodies around 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. About 20 people were also being treated for minor injuries, the source added. Indian authorities have not confirmed the number of casualties.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to acknowledge the deaths in a post on X. He called the incident “extremely sad.”

“My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones in this. I also wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi said. He added that he is “constantly in touch” with the Uttar Pradesh state government.

The state’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier said some of the devotees caught up in the crush were “seriously injured.” He had warned people against spreading rumors.

Reuters and local media reported witnesses seeing several dead bodies near the river bank. Photos from Reuters showed bodies being carried from the site on stretchers.

“Suddenly, there was a huge crowd and we got stuck somehow. People started pushing aggressively and we fell,” one woman told local media from outside the hospital.

The incident occurred as about 100 million Hindu devotees were expected to visit the site on Wednesday. They planned to take a holy dip in the sacred waters. This event was in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, according to local media reports.

Wednesday marks Mauni Amavasya, an important day of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival. Followers come to bathe in the Triveni Sangam. It is the confluence of three holy rivers – the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. They bathe to purify their sins and move closer to “spiritual liberation.”

Drone footage shared by Reuters showed huge numbers of people already arriving at the site before the crush.

The festival is considered the world’s largest peaceful gathering of people. Over six weeks, a staggering 400 million people are expected. They will attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the banks of Prayagraj.

Number of people created ‘huge pressure’

Chief Minister Adityanath said late Wednesday morning that the situation was “under control.”

He did not give details on the number of casualties. He said some of the devotees caught up in the crush became “seriously injured.” They were “trying to get through the barricades.”

“They were immediately taken to hospital and treated,” Adityanath said, adding that the incident occurred between 1 and 2 a.m. local time.

The sheer number of people at the site had created “huge pressure,” he said.

He added that between 80 million and 100 million people were in Prayagraj on Wednesday. More than 50 million took a dip in the waters the day before.

In a post on X, Adityanath told devotees on Wednesday to avoid bathing at the sangam, where the rivers meet. He advised them to instead take dips at points along the river closest to them. Despite the appeal, huge crowds moved toward the sangam. They were seen bathing as the morning progressed. Reuters shared images of the event.

The Kumbh is inspired by Hindu mythology. It comes from the legend of demons and gods fighting over a pitcher containing the elixir of immortality. During the fight, four drops from the pitcher fell on Earth. They landed in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar, and Ujjain. These cities host the festival in rotation.

The gathering is particularly well known for attracting large crowds of Hindu holy men. These men are known as sadhus. They travel from across the country.

Every 12 years the festival carries the prefix “Maha,” which means great. It is the largest gathering of the Kumbh Mela. This gathering is held every three years in one of four cities. This year, the festival carries greater significance due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies that happens every 144 years.

As of January 27, over 197 million people had taken a dip into the holy waters. This information is according to the Uttar Pradesh government.