At least seven people were killed and dozens suffered injuries in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in India, where millions have gathered to bathe at the confluence of three sacred rivers.
Stampedes took place at three separate locations on Wednesday at about 4am (local time) as large numbers of Hindu pilgrims turned up to take a dip in the waters on Mauni Amavasya — the most significant day of the Maha Kumbh.
Videos showed bodies being taken away on stretchers and people sitting on the ground crying, while others stepped over a carpet of discarded belongings left by people as they tried to escape the stampede.
“I saw many people falling and getting walked on by the crowd… many children and women getting lost, crying for help,” Ravin, a devotee who gave only his first name, told Reuters.
More than 400 million pilgrims were expected to travel to Prayagraj city in Uttar Pradesh state over the course of the festival, to bathe at the confluence of Hinduism’s three holiest rivers – the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati.
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