A stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India has left at least 15 people dead and many more injured, according to a doctor at the event site. The deadly crowd crush occurred during the world’s largest religious gathering, already notorious for such incidents.
The six-week Kumbh Mela, a key event on the Hindu religious calendar, draws millions of devotees each year. Organizers had anticipated up to 400 million pilgrims to attend by the final day, February 26. Wednesday, which marks one of the holiest days of the festival, was expected to see a massive turnout for a sacred bathing ritual at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
“Currently, at least 15 people have died, and others are being treated,” said the doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity. Rescue teams were seen working to help victims, some of whom were carried away on stretchers as the area was littered with discarded belongings like shoes and clothing.
Police and festival staff were seen urging people to stay away from the main bathing area, using loudhailers to ask for cooperation and reminding pilgrims to respect security protocols. Some attendees, worried by the stampede, decided to leave the site early.
“I heard the news and saw the site myself,” said attendee Sanjay Nishad. “My family got scared, so we’re leaving.”
The stampede reportedly began after crowd control barriers collapsed, according to local government official Akanksha Rana. Pilgrim Malti Pandey, who was on his way to the river for the ritual bathing, recalled: “Suddenly, the crowd started pushing, and many people were crushed.”
The Kumbh Mela is rooted in Hindu mythology, symbolizing a battle between deities and demons over a pitcher of nectar granting immortality. The festival is so large in scale that organizers have compared it to a temporary city, with up to 400 million people expected to visit by its conclusion.
Authorities have taken steps to reduce crowd-related risks this year, installing hundreds of surveillance cameras and drones to monitor crowd density. This feeds into a command center that alerts staff if any section of the crowd becomes dangerously congested.
Tragically, the Kumbh Mela has a history of deadly crowd incidents, with more than 400 people killed in 1954 in one of the worst stampedes in history. In 2013, 36 people were crushed to death during the festival in Prayagraj, the same city hosting this year’s event.
