What caused the stampede at India’s Maha Kumbh festival that killed dozens?

NEW DELHI – Nearly 40 people were killed in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and several others injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela – a Hindu religious festival touted to be the largest human gathering in the world. 

Here are some details about the incident and the situation on the ground. 

WHEN 

The stampede occurred between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. (1930 – 2030 GMT Tuesday) as tens of millions gathered at the confluence of holy rivers in Prayagraj city to take a ‘holy dip’ in the waters on the festival’s most auspicious day. 

WHERE

The incident occurred in the 4,000 hectare (9,900 acres) temporary city near the arena for ascetics on the ‘Akhada Marg’ (Arena Road) that is used by the ascetics to go in a procession to the river.

WHAT HAPPENED 

The stampede occurred when several devotees tried to jump the barricades put up to manage the crowds during the ascetics’ holy dip, officials said.

Some witnesses spoke of routes to the water being closed, bringing the large crowd to a standstill and causing some people to collapse due to suffocation, while others began pushing, pulling, and climbing over them in an effort to escape.

Others spoke of a huge push from the back that left them wedged between barricades on one side and police personnel wielding batons on the other.

An official at a hospital where some of the injured were rushed said several victims had fractures and broken bones, and some of those who died had suffered heart attacks. 

THE CROWD  

A “large number” of people began descending upon Prayagraj on Tuesday evening as the most auspicious day of the festival – which saw almost 200 million attendees in its first two weeks – approached. 

More than 57 million people had taken a dip by 4 p.m. local time (1030 GMT) on Wednesday alone, officials said, and although the situation was eventually brought under control, the crowd remained “massive”. 

CONTROLLING THE SITUATION 

Additional security has been deployed, including a special police unit trained to manage crisis situations, and police are regulating entry into the city to control the crowd.

Authorities also streamlined the rituals on Wednesday, facilitating dips for devotees first, with ascetics starting their processions, which took place on a smaller scale than planned, only after the number of other attendees had come down. REUTERS

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