Pilgrims gather at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj on January 29, 2025. (Photo by Niharika Kulkarni / AFP)
Prayagraj, India: A pre-dawn stampede at the world's largest religious gathering killed at least 15 people in India Wednesday, with many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders.
Deadly crowd incidents are frequent occurrence at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, which attracts tens of millions of devotees every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj.
As pilgrims rushed to participate in a sacred day of ritual bathing, people sleeping and sitting on the ground near the rivers told AFP they were trampled by huge swells of devotees coming towards them in the darkness.
"I was sitting near a barricade, and during the pushing and shoving, the entire crowd fell on top of me, trampling me as it moved forward," Pilgrim Renu Devi, 48, told AFP.
"When the crowd surged, elderly people and women were crushed, and no one came forward to help."
Rescue teams carrying victims from the accident site weaved through piles of clothes, shoes and other discarded belongings.
Police were seen carrying stretchers bearing the bodies of victims draped with thick blankets.
"At least 15 people" were killed with dozens more injured, a doctor at a hospital tending to survivors told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to talk to media.
Authorities have yet to officially confirm the number of dead in the stampede, which took place around 1am (1930 GMT Tuesday).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the accident was "extremely sad" and offered his "deepest condolences" to relatives of those killed.
"I wish for the speedy recovery of all injured," he added.
Dozens of relatives were anxiously waiting for news outside a large tent serving as a purpose-built hospital for the festival around one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the disaster site.
'Please cooperate'
The six-week Kumbh Mela is the single biggest milestone on the Hindu religious calendar.
Wednesday marks one of the holiest days in the festival, when saffron-clad holy men lead millions in a sin-cleansing ritual of bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
Instead, officials were strolling the festival with loudhailers pleading with pilgrims to keep away from the disaster site and bathe at other locations.
"We humbly request all devotees do not come to the main bathing spot," said one festival staffer, his voice crackling through his megaphone.
"Please cooperate with security personnel."
The Uttar Pradesh state government, responsible for staging the festival, said millions had already bathed in the waterways between midnight and the early morning.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters that medical workers were treating those seriously injured in the crush, adding that the situation was "under control".
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the disaster on poor crowd management that prioritised the comfort of prominent pilgrims.
"Mismanagement and the administration's special focus on VIP movement instead of common devotees are responsible for this tragic incident," he wrote on social media.
'My family got scared'
Railway official Manish Kumar said numerous special train services scheduled to transport pilgrims had been halted due to massive crowding at Prayagraj.
Some devotees decided to make an early exit from the city.
"I heard the news and saw the bathing site," attendee Sanjay Nishad told AFP.
"My family got scared, so we're leaving."
