Stampede kills more than two dozen at massive Hindu festival

Police in the province of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday said at least 30 people died early in the morning during the Maha Kumbh Mela celebration. Dozens more were injured in a stampede at the event where tens of millions of people gathered. Officials on Wednesday morning did not release the total number of casualties. Witnesses told Reuters that the stampede began when attendees rushed toward river waters that are part of the festival. Attendees jumped police barricades to reach the river, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, according to a translation of a video statement.

How have officials responded? Adityanath said the situation was under control Wednesday morning as more than 90 million pilgrims remained at the site. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu both offered condolences for the attendees who were injured or killed. Local authorities urged people to enter the river at other locations away from the stampede site, saying that officials were dedicated to ensuring the attendee’s safety.

What happens during the celebration? The six-week Hindu festival takes place every 12 years. It is the largest festival in the world, drawing about 400 million people, compared to the Hajj Islamic pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia which drew 1.8 million last year. Wednesday was a sacred day in which Maha Kumbh Mela pilgrims engaged in a bathing ritual at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. At least 30 million people had taken a dip in the waters by Wednesday, Adityanath said. 

Dig deeper: Read my report in WORLD Magazine about how hostility toward Christians is growing in India and other regions of the world.