At least seven people dead in India after stampede at religious festival
More than seven people were killed and around 10 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in northern India on Wednesday, as tens of millions gathered to take a holy bath in the river in Prayagraj city.
Drone footage showed millions of devotees, shoulder to shoulder, arriving in the pre-dawn dark at the temporary township in Prayagraj for the holy dip at the confluence of three rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati.
Video and photos after the stampede showed bodies being taken away on stretchers and people sitting on the ground crying, while others stepped over a carpet of discarded clothes, shoes, backpacks and blankets left by people as they tried to escape the stampede.
A Reuters witness saw several dead bodies as he followed dozens of ambulances rushing towards the river bank where the incident occurred.
'More than seven people have been killed in the stampede and around 10 others injured,' said an official who did not want to be named, because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Officials said the stampede occurred around 1am local time (19.30 GMT). Its cause was unclear.
However, witnesses said devotees trying to escape it were caught in another stampede at an exit. They then returned towards the pontoon bridges looking for another way out only to find it had been closed by authorities.
'I saw many people falling and getting walked on by the crowd...many children and women getting lost, crying for help,' said Ravin, a devotee who gave only his first name and had travelled from the financial capital Mumbai for the festival.
A Rapid Action Force (RAF) - a special unit called in during crisis situations - had been deployed to bring the situation under control and rescue efforts were under way, officials said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and gave 'directions for normalisation of the situation and relief', reported news agency ANI.
Mr Adityanath also appealed to people to take a dip at the nearest river bank rather than trying to reach the confluence of three rivers that is believed to absolve devotees of their sins and confer salvation from the cycle of birth and death.
'All of you should follow the instructions of the administration and cooperate in making arrangements,' he said on messaging platform X, as the devout continued to take holy dips in other parts of the sprawling temporary city.
The world's largest congregation of humanity, the Hindu festival has already seen gigantic daily crowds, with nearly 148 million people attending since it began two weeks ago.
Attendees range from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah to Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and celebrities like Coldplay's Chris Martin and actress Dakota Johnson, who local media reported reached Prayagraj on Tuesday.
Mr Modi was also expected to visit the festival next month.
Authorities had expected a record 100 million people to throng the temporary township in Prayagraj on Wednesday for the holy dip, considered the most auspicious day due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies after 144 years.
The 'royal bath' was briefly 'put on hold' following the incident, but later resumed.
'Now that the crowd has reduced and the ghats (banks) meant for our snan (bath) are being vacated...Our processions will be carried out as usual according to our tradition but will be at a smaller scale,' ascetic Ravindra Puri told ANI.
Authorities had undertaken several measures to cater to the enormous crowd, including increased security and medical personnel, and special trains and buses. AI-software was also used to manage the crowds.
A similar stampede had broken out on the most auspicious day of the festival when it was last held in 2013, killing at least 36 pilgrims, mostly women.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
40 minutes ago
- CNBC
Oil prices tick up on worries of escalating U.S.-Iran tension
Oil prices edged higher on Thursday to their highest in more than two months, after U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East, which raised fear that escalating tensions with Iran could disrupt supply. Brent crude futures rose 15 cents, 0.2%, to $69.92 a barrel at 1230 am GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude 22 cents, 0.3%, to $68.37. Both Brent and WTI surged more than 4% to their highest since early April on Wednesday. Trump on Wednesday said U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to U.S. and Iraqi sources. Iraq is OPEC's No. 2 crude producer after Saudi Arabia. A U.S. official said military dependents could also leave Bahrain. Meanwhile, Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said Tehran will strike U.S. bases in the region if nuclear talks fail and conflict arises with Washington. Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal. Optimism around a trade deal between the U.S. and China, which could boost energy demand in the world's two biggest economies, also buoyed oil prices. In the U.S., crude inventories fell by 3.6 million barrels to 432.4 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a draw of 2 million barrels.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Australian accused of mushroom murders denies poisoning lunch as cross-examination ends
By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY (Reuters) -An Australian woman accused of murder denied on Thursday she deliberately included poisonous mushrooms in a lunch she served to three elderly relatives of her estranged husband, as the prosecution wrapped up five days of cross-examination. Erin Patterson is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, in July 2023. The prosecution accuses her of foraging for the death caps, before drying them and knowingly serving them in individual portions of Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne. Patterson denies the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a "terrible accident". On Thursday, prosecution barrister Nanette Rogers ended her cross-examination by accusing Patterson of deliberately sourcing the mushrooms for the lunch. "I suggest you deliberately included them in the Beef Wellington you served (the guests)... you did so intending to kill them." "Disagree," the accused replied. The lengthy cross-examination followed three days of questioning from the 50-year-old's own barrister, Colin Mandy. Erin Patterson was the only witness called by her defence, and her decision to take the stand reignited interest in the trial, now in its seventh week. Media have descended on the town of Morwell where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs. The jury is next expected to hear closing arguments from the prosecution and defence, before presiding judge Justice Christopher Beale gives his instructions to the jury. The trial is expected to conclude later this month.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
United Nations to vote to demand immediate Gaza ceasefire over US, Israel opposition
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the United States vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council last week. The 193-member General Assembly is likely to adopt the text with overwhelming support, diplomats say, despite Israel lobbying countries this week against taking part in what it called a "politically-motivated, counter-productive charade." General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry weight as a reflection of the global view on the war. Previous demands by the body for an end to the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas have been ignored. Unlike the U.N. Security Council, no country has a veto in the General Assembly. Thursday's vote also comes ahead of a U.N. conference next week that aims to reinvigorate an international push for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The United States has urged countries not to attend. In a note seen by Reuters, the U.S. warned that "countries that take anti-Israel actions on the heels of the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to U.S. foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences." The U.S. last week vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that also demanded an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" and unhindered aid access in Gaza, arguing it would undermine U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire. The other 14 countries on the council voted in favor of the draft as a humanitarian crisis grips the enclave of more than 2 million people, where the U.N. warns famine looms and aid has only trickled in since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade last month. 'FALSE AND DEFAMATORY' The draft resolution to be voted on by the General Assembly on Thursday demands the release of hostages held by Hamas, the return of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It demands unhindered aid access and "strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians ... of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supply and access." "This is both false and defamatory," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon wrote in a letter to U.N. member states, sent on Tuesday and seen by Reuters. Danon described the General Assembly draft resolution as an "immensely flawed and harmful text," urging countries not to take part in what he said was a "farce" that undermines hostage negotiations and fails to condemn Hamas. In October 2023 the General Assembly called for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza with 120 votes in favor. In December 2023, 153 countries voted to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Then in December last year the body demanded - with 158 votes in favor - an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Many of those killed or captured were civilians. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. They say civilians have borne the brunt of the attacks and that thousands more bodies have been lost under rubble.
