It is thought that millions of people attempted to bathe during a celestial event at the Maha Kumbh festival in India
A stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India has led to the death of more than 10 people and left dozens more injured, according to local media reports. Officials haven’t issued an update on the number of casualties, but at least 15 are feared killed and around 70 sustained injuries, Hindustan Times noted, citing sources.
The incident occurred at the peak of the six-week Maha Kumbh festival, which has attracted millions of Hindu devotees to Prayagraj, a city at the confluence of three rivers – the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati – in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
According to Hindu beliefs, on this day, a sacred bathe in the water is considered good luck due to a rare celestial alignment that occurs only once every 144 years.
The stampede occurred at night, at approximately 1am local time, but the reason remains unclear. Drone footage captured the massive crowd, with millions of people packed shoulder to shoulder, arriving in the pre-dawn hours to step into the water at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers.
Eyewitnesses at the festival told media outlets that the attendees had started falling on each other when there was a huge push near the confluence of the three rivers.
❗️UPDATE: Heart-Breaking Stampede At Hindu Festival Of Maha Kumbh Kills At Least 15, Dozens Injured – AFP, citing sources
The world’s largest religious gathering had expected up to 100mn to take part in the bathing day, according to officials.
The six-week-long Kumbh Mela is… https://t.co/Gy4rTFMK61 pic.twitter.com/pUtJXwVLJP
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) January 29, 2025
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to normalize the situation and provide relief, according to ANI news agency. Modi has offered his condolences to the families of the victims and said the local administration has engaged in helping “in every possible way.” Adityanath has urged devotees to take a dip at the nearest riverbank instead of attempting to reach the confluence.
More visuals from the Maha Kumbh—chaos and tragedy unfold in the stampede.#MahaKumbh2025 #Mahakumbh #MahaKumbhMela2025 #mahakumbhstampede #Mahakumbh_100Million https://t.co/MElknVVpaC pic.twitter.com/wzsCoI4kkA
— Sneha Mordani (@snehamordani) January 29, 2025
The 45-day Maha (or ‘great’) Kumbh Mela will continue until February 26 in Prayagraj, which was formerly known as Allahabad. The town was renamed in 2018 by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a move to acknowledge the city’s significance as a major spiritual hub for Hindu pilgrims. So far, nearly 200 million people have come to the festival since it began on January 13. The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place in Prayagraj once every 12 years, while the general Kumbh Mela is organized annually here and in other cities considered significant by Hindu believers.
: India launches investigation after 121 people die in stampede
The festival has had a history of similar accidents. In 1954, the first Maha Kumbh Mela held after India gained independence from Britain saw nearly 800 people trampled to death or drowned in the river after a stampede broke out when scores of devotees flocked to then-Allahabad. The Kumbh Mela held in Haridwar, a city in northern Uttarakhand state, in 1986 witnessed a tragic stampede that claimed at least 200 lives. Another stampede took place in Nashik, Maharashtra, in 2003 when pilgrims surged at the Godavari River to take a dip during the Kumbh Mela, resulting in 41 fatalities and over 100 injuries. In 2013, the most recent Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj saw a stampede that killed 42 and injured 45 others.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, also in Uttar Pradesh state, seven were killed and around 60 injured after makeshift stage collapsed during a religious event in Baghpat district on Tuesday.
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