Category - India
39 Dead After Stampede at World’s Largest Religious Festival
At least 39 people have been declared dead and scores injured during a stampede at the world’s most-attended religious festival on Wednesday morning (via Reuters).
The tragic incident occurred just before dawn in Prayagraj, India, in the Utter Pradash state, as millions of worshippers descended upon the Maha Kumbh festival to place their hands in the holy river. Hindus believe that cleansing themselves in the river absolves past sins, and Wednesday is considered the most important of the festival’s six days. This year, a record 100 million people were estimated to make the pilgrimage.
The stampede began as crowds made their way to the water, but what exactly occurred is still being debated. Witnesses on the scene said that a large push caused attendees to fall on top of one another, and others believed the closure of certain routes to access the river led to an immense concentration of pilgrims in certain areas.
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“Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped,” a witness identified as Sarojini told The Press Trust of India (via The Associated Press). “A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled. There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides.”
"There was commotion, everybody started pushing, pulling, climbing over one another. My mother collapsed...then my sister-in-law. People ran over them," attendee Jagwanti Devi told Reuters “as she sat in an ambulance with the bodies of her relatives,” the outlet noted. She blamed police officers for the deaths of her four family members. "Police didn't make proper arrangements. They are responsible for this," she cried.
In a televised statement, Utter Pradash’s top elected official Yogi Adityanath said the stampede was caused by a group of people attempting to hop over barricades erected for a parade of holy men. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sincere condolences to the victims and their families, calling the incident “extremely sad.”
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Reuters reporters claimed they personally “counted 39 bodies in the morgue of the local hospital” and noted that “bodies were still being brought in 12 hours after” the stampede. A total of 90 people were brought to hospitals. Indian authorities confirmed to the outlet that at least 39 people had died. The other victims are still being treated for their injuries, which range in severity. However, officials warn that they expect the death toll to rise.
"More bodies are coming in,” an anonymous source at the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College hospital informed Reuters. “We have nearly 40 bodies here. We are transferring them out as well and handing over to families one by one.”
