A tragic stampede at the Kumbh Mela in northern India claimed at least 15 lives and left many others injured in the early hours of Wednesday.
The disaster struck at the world’s largest religious festival, held along the banks of the Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh.
Thousands of devotees had gathered for a sacred ritual bath on one of the festival’s holiest days when the incident unfolded. A doctor at the festival’s temporary hospital confirmed the fatalities, adding that many injured individuals were receiving medical attention.
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“So far, 15 people have died, and others are undergoing treatment,” stated the doctor, who wished to remain anonymous due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
The stampede occurred as worshippers rushed toward the river, leading to a deadly crush when control barriers collapsed. Local government official Akanksha Rana verified that the barricade failure triggered the chaos, causing pilgrims to push forward in panic.
Malti Pandey, a 42-year-old devotee who witnessed the tragic event, described the horrifying moment: “All of a sudden, the crowd surged, and many people got trampled.”
Wednesday was a highly significant date in the Hindu religious calendar, as millions of worshippers gathered to immerse themselves in the sacred waters of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers for spiritual purification. However, following the tragic incident, authorities closed the main bathing areas and urged attendees to stay away.
“We request all devotees to avoid the primary bathing site,” an announcement echoed over loudspeakers. Many pilgrims, including Sanjay Nishad and his family, opted to leave the festival early, fearing further mishaps.
Despite repeated efforts to enhance safety, the Kumbh Mela has a history of fatal crowd disasters. The sheer magnitude of the event—expected to draw up to 400 million people by its conclusion on February 26—makes crowd management a persistent challenge. In preparation for this year’s gathering, authorities deployed a vast surveillance system comprising hundreds of cameras and drones to monitor crowd movement and avert tragedies. However, the latest stampede underscores the ongoing difficulties in managing such a massive congregation.
The Kumbh Mela, deeply rooted in Hindu mythology, has been celebrated for centuries as a symbolic battle between deities and demons for the nectar of immortality. Over the years, the festival has witnessed some of the deadliest crowd-related incidents, including a 1954 stampede that claimed over 400 lives and a 2013 disaster that left 36 people dead.
