New Delhi, Jan 29 (EFE).- A number of people are in serious condition in hospital after a stampede at the massive Kumbh Mela festival in northern India early Wednesday, according to the first official report from the authorities.
The incident took place between 1-2 am local time (19:30-20:30 GMT) when a crowd of devotees was heading to bathe in the confluence of three rivers considered sacred to Hinduism in the city of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh state.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters at the scene that some devotees suffered serious injuries when they tried to cross a barricade, and the injured were taken to hospitals for medical treatment.
There have been no official details of numbers or types of casualties so far, although Indian media outlet NDTV reported at least 30 injured.
The authorities predict that Wednesday, being Mauni Amavasya, is considered the most auspicious day to immerse in the sacred waters. Up to 100 million pilgrims are predicted to arrive throughout the day.
The stampede occurred on one of the routes that leads streams of devotees to the Sangam ghat, where the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati rivers meet, and where, according to beliefs, bathing in its waters purifies the sins of the faithful, breaks the cycle of reincarnations, and leads them to spiritual liberation.
Adityanath urged the faithful to bathe at their nearest ghat on the Ganges instead of Sangam.
To organize the massive influx of pilgrims, the police set up numerous metal or wooden barriers to mark out the routes in and out. However, it is common to see large numbers of people climbing these sometimes flimsy barriers, especially when the crowd is large.
More than 36 million people had bathed in the sacred waters on Wednesday as of 10 am local time, according to data from the organizers, which places the number of visitors to the Hindu festival at almost 200 million since its start on Jan. 13.
The authorities estimated the arrival of 450 million devotees throughout its six weeks of duration, which would make it the largest human congregation on the planet.
At least 36 people died in a stampede at the Prayagraj train station during the last edition of the Kumbh Mela, held in 2013. EFE
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