Dozens killed in India's Kumbh festival stampede

A stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India killed dozens of people early Wednesday as millions of Hindus gathered to bathe in sacred river waters on the most auspicious day of the six-week festival.

Reuters counted 39 bodies at a local hospital, where bodies were still being brought in more than 12 hours after crowds surged toward the confluence of rivers considered especially sacred for immersion.

Two police sources confirmed that all 39 deaths resulted from the crash at the world’s largest human gathering. Three police sources indicated a death toll of nearly 40.

“More bodies are coming in. We have nearly 40 bodies here. We are transferring them out and handing them over to families one by one,” one source at Moti Lal Nehru Medical College hospital said.

Senior police officer Vaibhav Krishna reported that 90 people were taken to the hospital after the stampede, of whom 30 had died.

Relatives of the victims gathered at the hospital to identify their loved ones, with many calling for accountability from authorities and politicians.

  

Reuters

Devotees try to leave the area after a deadly stampede before the second "Shahi Snan" (royal bath), at the "Maha Kumbh Mela" or the Great Pitcher Festival in Prayagraj, India January 29, 2025.

Some witnesses described a powerful surge that caused people to fall on top of one another, while others said the closure of routes to the water led to a standstill, causing people to collapse from suffocation.

“There was a commotion, everybody started pushing, pulling, climbing over one another. My mother collapsed... then my sister-in-law. People ran over them,” said Jagwanti Devi, 40, as she sat in an ambulance with the bodies of her relatives.

Saroja, a woman who traveled from Belagavi for the festival, blamed the police for the deaths of four family members.

“Police didn’t make proper arrangements. They are responsible for this,” she wailed.

The state government praised the police, saying their “swift and effective response ... prevented a potential tragedy.”

“The police acted quickly to restore order and ensure the safety of the pilgrims, significantly minimizing the situation’s impact,” it said in an official statement.

PM Modi offers condolences

An official at SRN Hospital in Prayagraj, where the injured were taken, said the victims either suffered heart attacks or had comorbidities like diabetes.

FILE PHOTO: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia October 23, 2024. Reuters

“People came in with fractures, broken bones ... Some collapsed on the spot and were brought dead,” the official, who declined to be named, said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the “devotees who have lost their loved ones,” without specifying the number of casualties.

Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, where Prayagraj is located, said the stampede was triggered when some devotees tried to jump barricades set up to manage the crowds.

In the aftermath, some people sat crying on the ground, while others stepped over belongings left by those trying to escape the crush.

Opposition parties blame “mismanagement”

Opposition parties blamed the stampede on what they called “mismanagement” and “VIP culture.”

Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, holds a press conference at the party's headquarter in New Delhi, India, June 4, 2024. Reuters

“VIP culture should be curbed and the government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees,” said Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, referring to the preferential treatment given to politicians and celebrities.

The Maha Kumbh

The Hindu festival is expected to attract around 400 million people, according to officials, compared to the 1.8 million who attended the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia last year.

By Tuesday, nearly 200 million people had attended the festival, with more than 57 million having taken a holy dip by 4 p.m. on Wednesday alone.

Devout Hindus believe bathing at the confluence of three sacred rivers — the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati — absolves people of their sins and grants salvation from the cycle of life and death.

Attendees this year included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, and celebrities like Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who local media said arrived in Prayagraj on Tuesday.

Authorities expected a record 100 million people to attend on Wednesday, deploying additional security, medical personnel, and AI-based crowd management technology.

A Rapid Action Force (RAF) — a special police unit called in during crises — was deployed after the stampede. Devotees were allowed to enter the water first, with ascetics beginning their processions only after the crowds had thinned.

Dozens of ascetics, smeared in holy ash or wearing saffron, moved toward the river confluence as security personnel and devotees looked on, while helicopters showered petals from above.

A similar stampede at the festival in 2013 killed at least 36 people.