At least seven people, including three women and a three-year-old child, tragically lost their lives in a second stampede-like incident at the Maha Kumbh, just hours after the first devastating crush claimed an estimated 30 lives at the Sangam. The latest incident took place at Jhusi, about three kilometers from the Sangam, around 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, according to police reports.
Eyewitnesses reported that the tragedy unfolded when two groups of pilgrims, one heading towards the exit from the Sector 18 ghat and the other traveling in the opposite direction, collided in a narrow area, creating a chaotic situation. The crowd continued to grow as more people joined the confusion, eventually leading to the fatal stampede. The victims, including the child, were crushed in the heavy crowd, and over a dozen others sustained critical injuries.
Suresh Bind, an eyewitness and worker at the Mukti Marg electric substation, described the terrifying scene: “The crowd stormed into the substation, and the chaos lasted for nearly 35 minutes. There was no space to move, and some people fell, unable to get up.” The pressure of the crowd caused significant damage to equipment, and the station had to shut down a 400KVA transformer to prevent electrocution.
Despite the severity of the incident, the state administration did not mention it during their 7 p.m. briefing about the first stampede, in which the death toll stood at 30. It wasn’t until later that the police responded, with Station House Officer (SHO) Ajab Singh arriving at the scene around 2 p.m. The police called ambulances and rushed the injured to the hospital, though the exact status of the victims remains unclear.
The state government had reported that around 76.5 million pilgrims gathered at the Sangam on Mauni Amawasya, the auspicious new moon day, to take a holy dip in the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers. The stampede occurred amidst the largest gathering of devotees in the nearly two-month-long religious event.
As of now, authorities are working to identify the deceased and have promised to return their bodies to their families once confirmed.
Sources By Agencies
