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World's largest religious festival/ Dozens of casualties reported in India

2025-01-29 12:59:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

World's largest religious festival/ Dozens of casualties reported in India

Several people are believed to have been killed during the world's largest religious gathering held in India on January 29, while many others were injured after the crowd broke through a police cordon and crushed the gathering.

Authorities have not given official figures for the victims, but a health worker said there were at least 15 victims.

Deadly incidents in such crowds often occur during religious festivals in India, including at the Kumbh Mela, which gathers tens of millions of devotees every 12 years in the northern city of Prayagraj.

As pilgrims rushed to take part in the ritual bathing on the holy day, people sleeping or sitting on the ground near rivers told AFP they were trampled by a large number of worshippers who had headed towards them in the darkness before dawn.

"I was sitting near a barricade and during the push-back, the entire crowd fell on me, crushing me, as people tried to move forward," said Renu Devi, 48.

"When the crowd grew in number, the elderly and women were crushed and no one came to their aid."

"At least 15 people have been killed and dozens more injured," a doctor at a hospital where survivors are being treated told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said it was an "extremely sad" event and expressed condolences to the families of those killed.

The religious festival, Kumbh Mela, takes place for six weeks and is the main event in the Hindu religious calendar./ CNA





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