At least 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. The stampede occurred between 1 am and 2 am GMT Tuesday near the arena of the ascetics, where barricades had been put up to manage crowds during their holy dip, said Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state where the festival city of Prayagraj is located.
The official did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Videos and photographs after the stampede showed bodies being taken away on stretchers and people sitting on the ground crying, while others stepped over clothes, shoes, backpacks and blankets left by those trying to escape the crush.
A Reuters witness saw several dead bodies as he followed dozens of ambulances rushing towards the river bank where the incident occurred. Witnesses spoke of a huge push near the confluence of three holy rivers - where a dip is considered particularly sacred - that caused devotees to fall on each other. Chief Minister Adityanath urged people to avoid the area. The push from behind was very powerful The Hindu festival is the world's largest congregation of humanity, attracting some million over its six weeks compared with the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia which drew 1.
By Tuesday nearly million people have attended the festival since it started two weeks ago. Devout Hindus believe taking a dip at the confluence of three sacred rivers - the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati - absolves people of sins, and during the Kumbh, it also brings salvation from the cycle of life and death.
Authorities had expected a record million people to throng the temporary township in Prayagraj on Wednesday, and had deployed additional security and medical personnel along with AI-software based technology to manage the crowd.
