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Not less than seven folks have died in a number of stampedes at India’s Kumbh Mela pageant, as thousands and thousands of Hindu devotees gathered for a ritual bathtub on the confluence of three sacred rivers.
The gang crush started at round 4am (native time) at Prayagraj, the place the Ganges, Yamuna, and the legendary Saraswati rivers meet. Witnesses reported chaotic scenes as crowds surged ahead, trampling individuals who have been resting or sitting alongside the riverbanks.
Loss of life tolls range from seven to as many as 50, whereas neither the central nor state authorities has but to launch any official toll.
Distraught households gathered outdoors short-term medical centres, trying to find lacking relations, whereas emergency groups attended to the injured and police struggled to regain management over the crowds.
Wednesday marked a very important bathing day, with officers anticipating a document turnout of 100 million devotees on the pilgrimage web site. The Maha Kumbh Mela, which takes place each 12 years, started on 13 January, with over 400 million folks anticipated to go to earlier than the pageant concludes.
Authorities at the moment are dealing with scrutiny over crowd management measures as rescue operations proceed.
Not less than seven useless in a number of stampedes at enormous Hindu gathering
Not less than seven folks have been killed and dozens suffered accidents in a stampede on the Maha Kumbh Mela in India, the place thousands and thousands have gathered to wash on the confluence of three sacred rivers.
Stampedes passed off at three separate places on Wednesday at about 4am (native time) as giant numbers of Hindu pilgrims turned as much as take a dip within the waters on Mauni Amavasya — probably the most important day of the Maha Kumbh.
Greater than 400 million pilgrims have been anticipated to journey to Prayagraj metropolis in Uttar Pradesh state over the course of the pageant, to wash on the confluence of Hinduism’s three holiest rivers – the Ganga, Yamuna, and the legendary Saraswati. It’s the largest gathering of individuals anyplace on Earth.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 10:00
Mapped: The sangam or confluence of the three holy rivers
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 09:47
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 09:30
A glance again at lethal crowd disasters in India
Stampede in Uttar Pradesh in 2024
Greater than 100 folks have been killed in a stampede in northern India in July 2024 following a Hindu spiritual gathering, making it one of many deadliest such accidents in years. Hundreds had gathered at a makeshift tent for an occasion led by a Hindu preacher in Uttar Pradesh state. The victims have been crushed to demise as they rushed to depart. Video of the aftermath confirmed the makeshift construction appeared to have collapsed.
Bridge collapse on the Navaratri pageant in 2013
A collapsing bridge triggered a stampede that killed 115 folks, largely ladies and youngsters, on 13 October, 2013. A whole lot of 1000’s of pilgrims had come to a Hindu temple within the distant city of Ratangarh in Madhya Pradesh state on the final day of the favored 10-day Navaratri pageant.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 09:23
‘There was no stampede,’ claims senior cop
Rajesh Dwivedi, the senior superintendent of police on the Kumbh Mela, dismissed experiences of a stampede saying the folks suffered accidents on account of “overcrowding”.
“The state of affairs is totally below management. No form of rumours have to be paid heed to… Amrit Snan will quickly start… All preparations for Amrit Snan have been made,” he mentioned.
When requested in regards to the toll, he mentioned: “I don’t have numbers on casualties or accidents.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 09:00
President of India points assertion
President of India Droupadi Murmu in a press release this afternoon referred to as the stampede on the Maha Kumbh Mela “extraordinarily unhappy”.
“I specific my condolences to the households of the injured devotees and pray to God that each one the injured devotees recuperate quickly.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 08:30
Politicians and pop stars attend Kumbh Mela
Attendees on the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj vary from India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh and residential minister Amit Shah to Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and celebrities like Coldplay’s Chris Martin and actress Dakota Johnson, who native media reported reached Prayagraj on Tuesday.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was additionally anticipated to go to the pageant subsequent month.
Laurene Powell Jobs, spouse of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, additionally attended the Kumbh earlier this month.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 08:00
Uttar Pradesh officers refuse to disclose demise toll hours after stampede
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath mentioned a number of pilgrims suffered accidents and a few have been significantly injured within the stampede on the Maha Kumbh Mela however refused to disclose the demise toll even eight hours after the group crush.
Distressed households lined up outdoors a makeshift hospital inquiring about their lacking relations, rescuers have been serving to the injured and police tried to handle the crowds. Folks’s belongings like garments, blankets and backpacks have been strewn across the scene of the stampede.
It was not instantly clear what triggered the panic.
“The state of affairs is now below management, however there’s a large crowd of pilgrims,” Mr Adityanath mentioned, including that 90 million to 100 million pilgrims had congregated there. “About 30 million folks had taken the holy bathtub by 8am Wednesday,” he mentioned.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 07:25
PM Modi affords condolences
Prime minister Narendra Modi provided condolences to the bereaved households who misplaced their family members within the stampede on the Maha Kumbh Mela.
“The accident that occurred in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh is extraordinarily unhappy,” he wrote in Hindi language on X.
“The native administration is engaged in serving to the victims in each potential method. On this regard, I’ve spoken to chief minister Yogi ji and I’m consistently in contact with the state authorities.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 06:47
Thousands and thousands bathe in holy waters earlier than 6am
About 17.6 million devotees took a dip within the confluence of three sacred rivers earlier than 6am as we speak on the Maha Kumbh Mela, in response to the Uttar Pradesh authorities.
Wednesday 29 January had lengthy been earmarked because the notably auspicious day of Mauni Amavasya, and was predicted to be the busiest day of bathing within the six-week pageant.
Hindu pilgrims continued to pour into the make-shift tent metropolis on the banks of the rivers regardless of not less than seven folks dying within the stampede on the pageant this morning.
A complete of 199 million folks had taken half within the pageant as much as 28 January, the Occasions of India reported citing the state authorities.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 January 2025 06:25
