At least 30 people died and over 60 others were injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela site in Prayagraj in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
Addressing a press conference in the evening, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Kumbh, Vaibhav Krishna said 25 bodies have been identified so far.
“A total of 30 people have died unfortunately in the stampede that took place at the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj. Twenty-five bodies have been identified and the rest five are yet to be identified,” he said.
The stampede took place between 1 am and 2 am as pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, considered one of the most auspicious days during the mela.
“The crowds broke barricades and jumped to the other side, crushing those waiting there. Over 90 injured were rushed to the hospital, out of whom 30 died," Krishna said.
The officer said as the barricades broke, people fell on those sitting and waiting to take the holy dip during the 'brahm muhurt'. Many, including women and children, fell down and were crushed.
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Among the deceased, four are from Karnataka, one from Assam and one from Gujarat, the DIG said.
“Keeping in mind the convenience of the devotees, the CM Yogi Adityanath has requested all Mahamadaleshwar, saints and Akharas to take their holy dips with some delay. The Amrit Snan of the Akharas has been concluded safely,” he further said.
The officer informed that the Mela administration has issued a helpline number, 1920, for tracing missing persons.
'Mismanagement and self-promotion'
The opposition parties tore into the central and Uttar Pradesh government over the stampede incident and demanded better arrangements to fulfil the needs of common devotees.
“Half-baked arrangements, VIP movement, paying more attention to self-promotion and mismanagement are responsible for this,” said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi echoed Kharge as he blamed mismanagement and a special focus on the VIP movement for the tragedy.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav demanded that the management of the event should be immediately handed over to the army.
"In order to re-establish faith in the system among the saint community and devotees who have come to the Maha Kumbh, it is necessary that the administration and management of the Maha Kumbh should be immediately handed over to the army instead of the UP government," he said on X.
