Over 40 persons have been reported dead in a stampede that occurred early morning night on Wednesday at Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious festival that holds once in 12 years, that is touted to be the largest human gathering in the world with over 100 million people estimated to have gathered to bathe in the holy river waters in India.

International news agencies reported that nearly 40 people were killed in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and several others injured in a pre-dawn or early morning night stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela.

According to residents, the Maha Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years in the Indian city of Prayagraj, about 90 miles west of the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, when an estimated 100 million people gather to bathe in holy river waters at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati rivers.

It was gathered that a large number of people began descending upon Prayagraj on Tuesday evening as the most auspicious day of the festival – which saw almost 200 million attendees in its first two weeks visited the city for the Hindu Festival.

Reuters reported that the stampede occurred between 1am and 2am on Wednesday as tens of millions gathered at the confluence of holy rivers in Prayagraj city to take a ‘holy dip’ in the waters on the festival’s most auspicious day.

“The stampede occurred when several devotees tried to jump the barricades put up to manage the crowds during the ascetics’ holy dip, officials said.

Some witnesses spoke of routes to the water being closed, bringing the large crowd to a standstill and causing some people to collapse due to suffocation, while others began pushing, pulling, and climbing over them in an effort to escape”, according to Reuters.

At least nearly 40 people were confirmed dead and several others injured in a crowd crush at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India, as tens of millions gathered to take the holy dip on the most auspicious day of the six-week Hindu festival.

We learnt that India officials deployed a special crisis unit for rescue efforts, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed authorities to ensure relief measures.

Drone footage posted online captured massive crowds as tens of millions of Hindus arrived to take ritual baths in the sacred rivers.

Authorities have confirmed 40 deaths, with the toll expected to rise as many victims remain unidentified. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as people were crushed and trampled in the overwhelming surge toward the riverbanks, according to media reporters at the scene of the event.

Some media reported that the tragedy underscores the immense scale of the festival, which was anticipated to attract over 100 million people, with more than 50 million already partaking in the sacred ritual the day before.

“Despite enhanced security measures, including AI-powered surveillance and drones, the sheer number of people strained crowd control systems.

This devastating incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks posed by such massive gatherings, with previous crowd-related fatalities at similar events in India”. 

Reuters also reported that; “more than 57 million people had taken a dip by 4pm local time on Wednesday alone, officials said, and although the situation was eventually brought under control, the crowd remained massive.

Additional security has been deployed, including a special police unit trained to manage crisis situations, and police are regulating entry into the city to control the crowd.

Authorities also streamlined the rituals on Wednesday, facilitating dips for devotees first, with ascetics starting their processions, which took place on a smaller scale than planned, only after the number of other attendees had come down”.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath in a video statement said; “Within some time of the incident, a green corridor was created and injured were rushed to the hospital.

Unfortunately, these deaths have happened… On all these issues, questions will be raised. The injured who have been discharged have left with their family members.

This was the main snan of Kumbh and due to immense pressure, large number of devotees in Prayagraj, routes were choked.

The administration was making attempts since last night to clear those routes. After this incident, Akharas postponed the Amrit Snan there; on the request of the Mela administration, which was supposed to begin at 4am.

Amrit Snan began in the afternoon, in which all the akharas participated in it”.

News network also reported that authorities have built a gigantic tent city on the banks of the rivers to accommodate the millions of pilgrims and tourists attending the festival — equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 150,000 toilets, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals, according to the Associated Press.

Local media reported that an estimated 50,000 security personnel are also stationed in the city to help keep the peace as well as manage the tens of millions of people in the crowds.

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi called the incident extremely sad and extended his condolences to those affected.

“My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi said in a post on X.

Modi added that he is in touch with his chief minister and other related authorities regarding the incident.