Mahakumbh stampede: 30 dead, 60 injured, says UP top cop

At least 30 people were killed and about 60 injured in the stampede that broke out at the mela ground in Prayagraj (Allahabad), in the early hours of Wednesday, a senior police officer has said.

Vaibhav Krishna, the DIG rank officer at Mahakumbh, told the press that 25 bodies have been identified so far, and the process of identification for the rest is underway. He said the injured are currently undergoing treatment in hospital.

This is the first official confirmation about the death toll and the number of injured in the Mahakumbh stampede, over 19 hours after the disaster. Soon after the news broke about deaths in the stampede, political parties were prompt in offering their condolences on the loss of loved ones, though the number of deaths was not clear.

Though eyewitness reports from the location — as well as a few media reports — suggest a higher death toll, no official data is available to support this view as of now.

Addressing the media, the DIG rank officer overseeing the Mahakumbh festivities said: "At around 1-2.00 am before the brahma muhurt, a huge crowd gathered at Akhara Marg. Owing to the massive gathering, the barricades on the other side broke and the crowd ran over the devotees, wanting to take a dip at the Sangam."

He said at least 90 people had been taken to hospital in ambulances but unfortunately, 30 devotees had passed away. Sharing information on the unidentified deceased devotees, he said they were from Assam, Gujarat and Karnataka. Also, talking about the Uttar Pradesh government’s efforts to salvage the situation post stampede, he said chief minister Yogi Adityanath had made an appeal to all the saints, seers, akharas and Mahamandaleshwars to postpone their dip by a few hours.

Notably, Mauni Amavasya is believed to be one of most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar, falling on Magh Krishna Amavasya. It is believed that on this day, the water of the holy river turns into amrit (nectar). The bath on this day is traditionally performed in silence.

With IANS inputs