Kumbh Mela Stampede Kills 15 as Devotees Rush for Ritual Bathing. (photograph by Arun Sarkar/AFP)
[EPICSTORIAN] – At least 15 people were killed and many others injured in a deadly pre-dawn stampede at the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering in India.
The chaos erupted when a massive crowd surged beyond police barricades, trampling bystanders in the darkness.
Witnesses described harrowing scenes as Hindu pilgrims rushed to participate in a sacred ritual bathing. Those sleeping and sitting on the ground were caught in the crush of devotees moving toward the riverbanks.
“People were sleeping when suddenly waves of pilgrims came rushing. We had no time to react,” an eyewitness told AFP.
Emergency teams worked through the chaos, maneuvering through scattered clothing, shoes, and personal belongings to reach the injured. “Rescue teams carrying victims weaved through piles of clothes,” a responder said, as police officers carried bodies on stretchers, covered in blankets.
The Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years in the northern city of Prayagraj, draws tens of millions of devotees seeking spiritual purification. However, the sheer scale of the event has often led to deadly crowd surges.
“Deadly crowd incidents are a frequent occurrence at Indian religious festivals,” authorities noted, emphasizing the urgent need for improved crowd control measures.
Officials have launched an investigation into the stampede, with preliminary reports suggesting that overcrowding and lack of proper barricades contributed to the disaster.
The tragedy has once again raised concerns about safety protocols at mass gatherings in India, where religious events often see overwhelming numbers of attendees.
