A pre-dawn stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering reportedly killed at least 30 people in India, with many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders.
Reports say that Deadly crowd incidents are frequent occurrence at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, which attracts millions of devotees every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj.
As pilgrims rushed to participate in a sacred day of ritual bathing, people sleeping and sitting on the ground near the rivers told newsmen they were trampled by huge swells of devotees coming towards them in the darkness.
Meanwhile, Rescue teams carrying victims from the accident site weaved through piles of clothes, shoes and other discarded belongings. However, Authorities have yet to officially confirm the number of dead in the stampede, which took place yesterday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the accident was extremely sad and offered his deepest condolences to relatives of those killed.