Mahakumbh Mela: Thirty killed in crush at India’s Kumbh Mela festival

At least 30 people have been killed in a crush at the world’s largest religious gathering, the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela in northern India, officials say.

When other pilgrims rushed to take part in a holy day of ceremony cleaning, followers on the rivers of the town of Prayagraj were trampled by additional pilgrims early on Wednesday.

Another 60 people were injured, authorities said. Most of the day was occupied by national casualty figures, which prompted opposition leaders to criticise authorities of a lack of clarity.

Those who lost loved ones expressed sympathies to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many travelers are also looking for information about relatives and friends.

Authorities said 90 injured persons had been taken to hospitals. ” Alas, 30 of those followers have died”, senior police officer Vaibhav Krishna told a news conference on Wednesday night.

He said 25 of the deceased had been identified.

Earlier in the day, BBC investigators had witnessed scenes of conflict, with clothing, shoes, blankets and suitcases strewn on the ground as audiences tried to escape the webpage of the injury.

” People were going in every way”, one witness Ayesha Mishra told the BBC. They were “being pushed round and falling.” Babies were being suffocated by the masses.

People were seen on the ground, their injured systems, and their heads covered in mud, according to video and photos taken at the scene. As ambulances shuffled in and out of the spacious camp area for the event, some were being carried away on wheelchairs.

For days, there was uncertainty about how many people had died or were injured.

The major hospital was fenced off and reporters were prohibited from entering. Yogi Adityanath, the deputy minister of Uttar Pradesh express- where Prayagraj is located- spoke of serious accidents, but did not mention incidents.

Prime Minister Modi acknowledged there had been mortality, but he did not specify how some.

In a post on X, he wrote,” I wish for the quick recovery of all injured people,” calling the incident “extremely sad.”

News of the accident did little to discourage the huge crowds thronging the venue – more than 50 million had bathed by 14:00 local time (08:30GMT), according to government figures.

The Kumbh Mela happens every 12 years at Sangam, the confluence of three sacred rivers- the Ganges ( Ganga ), Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Hindus think that taking a bath in holy water will make them sin-free and enable them to find salvation.

While the sacred bathroom is the main draw, the celebration is also a lively carnival of beliefs, where people from all walks of lives, including ascetics, politicians and celebrities, merge to enjoy.

The event, which started on January 13 and will continue until February 26, has attracted audiences from all over the country and the world. Some have come alone, individuals with their home, including children and the elderly.

Officials estimated crowds of up to 100 million people on Wednesday, making it the biggest and most significant cleaning day of the event. The Shahi snan, or imperial bath, takes a fall in the creek into the sky with thousands of ash-smeared ascetics on it.

By Tuesday night, the place was now inundated with people and a sense of jubilation filled the air. In huge and vibrant procession, glad followers sang and danced. And the following day, people were eager to take a dip.

However, the activities quickly turned into a terrifying moment.

The news of the crush first broke between 01: 00 and 02: 00 local time ( 19: 30- 20: 30 GMT ) when many ambulances were seen entering and leaving the venue.

When the crowd surged toward the Sangam head, leading to the love, devotees were sleeping around the barricades there, where the rivers intersection, according to eyewitnesses, and the crowd fled.

Citizens began to run in distress, many of them injured. People had torn their clothing.

” People were trampling upon each other because the crowds were so large.” Me and my home, we all fell over”, said Poonam Singh, a follower, who came with seven friends of hers, all of whom were missing.

” I lost all my wealth, my stuff and I didn’t get my home anywhere”, she added.

The conflict was made even more so by uncertainty over what had transpired. Some followers said they had a sense that something was amiss but instead chose to continue because no one had received any assurance from the authorities.

Around 04 :00, when officials began directing people to stop going to the Sangam nose and instead take a dip at the nearest river bank, were the first announcements made.

However, that did not significantly change; by that point, the Sangam’s roads were now crowded.

Tens of thousands of people continued to travel and are still doing so, days after the incident.

The ascetics had previously promised to postpone their appearance, but eventually made it to Sangam, where their processions had been reduced.

For some travellers, the hunt for loved ones stretched through the day, and continued into the evening. Some people remained at the scene of the accident, where the victims ‘ boots, clothes, and other items were buried in the mud. Through the noise, odd cries of those who were grieving were pierced.

Anita Devi, from the northern area of Jhansi, said she had spent the entire day looking for her father.

” He needs his medications, but I have them with him.” When the love happened, I lost hold of his hands and he was gone in a blink”, she told the BBC.

” It’s been so some days but I can’t find him. I’m not sure where he might possess gone because there are so many lost-and-found centers this time. I’m making a lot of prayer for his safety and survival.

Group crushes are common in India, where overcrowding frequently occurs at spiritual gatherings, festivals, and open spaces. Last season, more than 120 people were killed in Hathras city, even in Uttar Pradesh, during a religious meeting.

According to officials, the Kumbh Mela’s position is now under control. However, Indian criticism officials have criticized the government for the fervor.

” Mismanagement, incompetence and government’s special focus on VIP movements instead of typical believers are responsible for this horrible incident”, Rahul Gandhi, opposition leader in parliament, said in a blog on X, calling the affair “extremely unfortunate”.

Some travelers even attributed the disaster to the authorities.

Ayesha Mishra questioned why there wasn’t a policeman presence where the incident occurred.

They were positioned toward the end of the event place, and many of us were suffocated in the middle, she said.

” We do not want to get a holy dip like this”, she added. The state may simply enjoin the public to remain at home at this point.