(CLO) At least 7 people were killed and about 10 injured in a stampede at the world's largest religious festival Maha Kumbh Mela in India early Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred as tens of millions of Hindu devotees flocked to the city of Prayagraj to take a holy bath in the river on the holiest day of the six-week festival.
Rescuers carry an injured person out of the crowd. Photo: X
Millions of pilgrims crammed into the pre-dawn darkness into a temporary area set up along the river to perform a ritual bath.
Video and images from the aftermath of the stampede showed bodies being carried away on stretchers, while survivors sat on the ground crying. Many people panicked and ran away, leaving their belongings behind.
"More than seven people were killed and about 10 others were injured," an unnamed official said. The stampede, which occurred at around 1 a.m. local time, was initially described as "not serious," but the cause was not yet known.
However, witnesses said that those who tried to escape were trapped in another stampede at the exit. When they made their way to the pontoon bridge, they found that the path had been blocked by the authorities, adding to the chaos.
The Rapid Action Force (RAF), a special unit that deals with emergency situations, was deployed to control the crowd and carry out rescue work.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, requesting "urgent assistance", according to ANI news agency.
Mr Adityanath also appealed to people to perform the bathing ritual at the nearest river banks, instead of trying to reach the confluence of three rivers – where the festival takes place.
The Maha Kumbh Mela festival is the world's largest religious event, attracting hundreds of millions of Hindus who believe that bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers will wash away their sins.
This year's event has attracted nearly 148 million people in just the first two weeks, with many celebrities participating. Prime Minister Modi is also expected to attend the festival next month.
In 2013, a similar stampede occurred on the holiest day of the festival, killing at least 36 people, mostly women.
Cao Phong (AJ, ANI, TheHindu)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/it-nhat-7-nguoi-thiet-mang-trong-vu-giam-dap-tai-le-hoi-lon-nhat-an-do-post332374.html
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