More than seven people were killed and around 10 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India on Wednesday, said an official, as tens of millions gathered to take a holy dip on the most auspicious day of the six-week Hindu festival.
Drone footage showed millions of devotees, shoulder to shoulder, arriving in the pre-dawn dark at the temporary township in Prayagraj for the holy dip at the confluence of three rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati.
Video and photographs after the stampede showed bodies being taken away on stretchers and people sitting on the ground crying, while others stepped over a carpet of discarded clothes, shoes, backpacks, and blankets left by people as they tried to escape the stampede.
A Reuters witness saw several dead bodies as he followed dozens of ambulances rushing towards the riverbank where the incident occurred.
“More than seven people have been killed in the stampede and around 10 others injured,” said an official who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Officials said there had been only one stampede which occurred around 1 a.m. local time (1930 GMT). Its cause was unclear.
Witnesses said devotees started falling on each other when there was a huge push near the confluence of the three rivers, where a holy dip is considered particularly sacred.
“We had barricades in front of us and police with batons on the other side. The push from behind was very powerful,…people started falling,” said Vijay Kumar, who came for the festival from the eastern city of Patna.
“There were people lying all around, I don’t know if they were dead or alive.”
A woman who was part of the crowd but did not give her name also told news agency ANI that she and her mother were among those who fell. “People kept stepping on us. I am safe but my mother has died,” she said.
A Rapid Action Force (RAF) – a special unit called in during crisis situations – had been deployed to bring the situation under control and rescue efforts were underway, officials said.A Rapid Action Force (RAF) – a special unit called in during crisis situations – had been deployed to bring the situation under control and rescue efforts were underway, officials said.
