Horror as at least 15 people crushed to death in stampede at festival in India after thousands surged towards river
Horror as at least 15 people crushed to death in stampede at festival in India after thousands surged towards river
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AT least 15 people have been killed in a major crowd stampede at a festival in India. Dozens more were injured when a stampede erupted as thousands surged towards a river at the Kumbh Mela. Tens of millions were expected to gather on Wednesday to take a holy dip during the six-week Hindu festival.
![[People carrying an injured person through debris at the Kumbh Mela.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-attracts-millions-devotees-ritual-967476015.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But between 1am and 2am, a stampede broke out where barricades had been put up to manage crowds. Shocking footage and images showed emergency crews taking bodies away on stretchers as attendees sat on the ground in tears. Others stepped over clothes, shoes, backpacks and blankets left by those trying to escape the crush.
![[A policeman helps an injured person amidst scattered belongings after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/royal-bath-maha-kumbh-mela-967467635.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Deadly crowd crushes are a notorious feature at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela which already had a grim track record. Witnesses spoke of a huge push near the confluence of three holy rivers - where a dip is considered particularly sacred - that caused devotees to fall on each other.
![[Large crowd of Hindu pilgrims at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/view-crowd-hindu-pilgrims-attend-967468978_0c5382.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Vijay Kumar, who came for the festival from the eastern city of Patna, said: "We had barricades in front of us and police with batons on the other side. "The push from behind was very powerful...people started falling. "There were people lying all around, I don't know if they were dead or alive.".
A woman who was part of the crowd but did not give her name told news agency ANI that people "kept stepping" on her mother and her when they fell. "I am safe but my mother has died," she said. Opposition parties blamed the stampede on what they called "mismanagement" and "VIP culture".
