Latest news with #SacredPitcher
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Many feared dead after stampede at Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in northern India
Many people are feared dead and dozens have been injured in a stampede at a Hindu festival in northern India. Images from the scene in the city of Prayagraj, in Uttar Pradesh state, show bodies being stretchered away and rescuers helping those who were hurt. Millions of people were attempting to take a holy bath in the river at the massive Maha Kumbh festival when there was an initial stampede at 1am local time (1930 UK time). Authorities said people trying to escape it were then caught in a second - and more serious - stampede at an exit. Devotees had congregated to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. A Rapid Action Force unit, a special team deployed during crisis situations, has been sent to the scene. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the chief minister for Uttar Pradesh state, Yogi Adityanath, calling for "immediate support measures", according to the ANI news agency. Authorities had expected a record 100 million people to visit Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh - "festival of the Sacred Pitcher" - on Wednesday for the holy dip. It is regarded as a significant day for Hindus, due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies after 144 years. The Maha Kumbh festival, which is held every 12 years, started on 13 January and is the world's largest religious gathering. Organisers had forecast that more than 400 million people would attend the pilgrimage site over the next six weeks. Authorities have built a sprawling tent city on the riverbanks, equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets and 11 hospitals. Stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds can gather in small areas.
CNN
28-01-2025
- CNN
Several injured in crowd crush at India's Kumbh Mela religious festival
A crowd crush has injured several people at the world's largest religious festival in India, organizers reported Wednesday. The crush at the Maha Kumbh Mela in the city of Prayagraj occurred after a barrier broke, according to Akanksha Rana, special executive officer for the festival. 'Several people are injured and receiving treatment,' she said, adding that some of the injured had been taken to the Intensive Care Unit. Asked whether any people had died or how many had been impacted, she said officials were still assessing the extent of the damage. Millions of Hindu devotees are bathing in sacred waters at the gathering in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Over six weeks, a staggering 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the riverbanks of Prayagraj. Crowd crushes at religious gatherings in India are not uncommon, and deadly incidents have occurred in the past, often highlighting a lack of adequate crowd control and safety measures. In 2013, dozens of people were killed and injured in a crowd crush at a railway station in Allahabad as pilgrims gathered for that year's Kumbh Mela. Ahead of the festival in Prayagraj, officials said extra safety measures had been put in place to protect visitors, including a security ring with checkpoints around the city staffed by more than 1,000 police officers. The central government said over 2,700 security cameras powered by artificial intelligence would also be positioned around the city, monitored by hundreds of experts at key locations. Aerial drones were touted to provide surveillance from above and, for the first time, underwater drones capable of diving up to 100 meters were being activated to provide round-the-clock cover, the government added. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
Several injured in crowd crush at India's Kumbh Mela religious festival
A crowd crush has injured several people at the world's largest religious festival in India, organizers reported Wednesday. The crush at the Maha Kumbh Mela in the city of Prayagraj occurred after a barrier broke, according to Akanksha Rana, special executive officer for the festival. 'Several people are injured and receiving treatment,' she said, adding that some of the injured had been taken to the Intensive Care Unit. Asked whether any people had died or how many had been impacted, she said officials were still assessing the extent of the damage. Millions of Hindu devotees are bathing in sacred waters at the gathering in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Over six weeks, a staggering 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the riverbanks of Prayagraj. Crowd crushes at religious gatherings in India are not uncommon, and deadly incidents have occurred in the past, often highlighting a lack of adequate crowd control and safety measures. In 2013, dozens of people were killed and injured in a crowd crush at a railway station in Allahabad as pilgrims gathered for that year's Kumbh Mela. Ahead of the festival in Prayagraj, officials said extra safety measures had been put in place to protect visitors, including a security ring with checkpoints around the city staffed by more than 1,000 police officers. The central government said over 2,700 security cameras powered by artificial intelligence would also be positioned around the city, monitored by hundreds of experts at key locations. Aerial drones were touted to provide surveillance from above and, for the first time, underwater drones capable of diving up to 100 meters were being activated to provide round-the-clock cover, the government added. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
28-01-2025
- General
- CNN
Several injured in crowd crush at India's Kumbh Mela religious festival
A crowd crush has injured several people at the world's largest religious festival in India, organizers reported Wednesday. The crush at the Maha Kumbh Mela in the city of Prayagraj occurred after a barrier broke, according to Akanksha Rana, special executive officer for the festival. 'Several people are injured and receiving treatment,' she said, adding that some of the injured had been taken to the Intensive Care Unit. Asked whether any people had died or how many had been impacted, she said officials were still assessing the extent of the damage. Millions of Hindu devotees are bathing in sacred waters at the gathering in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Over six weeks, a staggering 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the riverbanks of Prayagraj. This is a developing story and will be updated.
