Stampede at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj leaves many injured, casualties feared: Reports
Prayagraj: A stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj has left many injured, with reports suggesting casualties as well. The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday at the Sangam, where lakhs of devotees had gathered for a ritual dip on Mauni Amavasya, one of the most significant bathing days of the Kumbh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath to assess the situation. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) has been deployed to manage the massive crowds and restore order.
According to a social media content creator who witnessed the incident, the stampede occurred around 2:30 am as devotees reached the Sangam banks. The confusion arose when people carrying heavy luggage on their heads struggled to find an exit route after their ritual bath. Many tripped over iron dustbins that were not visible in the darkness, leading to a chain reaction of people falling.
"I managed to stand up and help my parents and another woman who were on the ground. Soon, panic spread as some youngsters in the crowd began pushing, triggering the stampede," the eyewitness said.
Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya has urged devotees not to insist on bathing only at the Sangam Ghat due to the heavy crowd. Akhada Parishad General Secretary Mahant Hari Giri also appealed to people to take a dip in the Ganga at safer locations and return to their camps to avoid further chaos.
Authorities have taken steps to restore order, including clearing access routes for akhadas and deploying security personnel at key points. Meanwhile, some akhadas have postponed their scheduled snan due to the incident.
The Mahakumbh, which began on 13 January, has reportedly already witnessed over 15 crore pilgrims taking a holy dip, with more than 4.8 crore participating on Tuesday alone. The festival is set to conclude on 26 February.
Special Executive Officer of the Kumbh Mela Authority, Akanksha Rana, downplayed the severity of the incident, stating, "A stampede-like situation occurred after a barrier broke at Sangam Nose. Some people sustained injuries, but no one is in serious condition."
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11 more bodies retrieved from Arunachal accident site
Itanagar (PTI): Eleven more bodies were retrieved on Saturday from the deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district, where a mini-truck on which 22 labourers from Assam were travelling fell, an official said.
With this, 17 bodies have been recovered from the accident site, Anjaw's deputy commissioner Milo Kojin said.
He said three more bodies will be brought out on Sunday.
The operation, being conducted by a joint team of the NDRF and Army, resumed at 6 am.
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"The retrieval process was extremely difficult because of the treacherous terrain, and the gorge is very deep," Kojin said.
The operation was suspended around 4 pm due to low visibility and will be resumed on Sunday morning, he said.
"One person is still missing, and a search operation will be carried out tomorrow," he added.
The accident happened on the evening of December 8, around 40 km from Hayuliang towards Chaglagam in the district. On the evening of December 10, one survivor managed to climb out of the gorge and reach a nearby Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp, following which the authorities were alerted.
Six bodies were recovered from the gorge on Friday and handed over to their families on Saturday.
