Several people are feared dead after a barrier broke during a holy bath at a major Hindu religious festival in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, is often called the world’s largest gathering of humanity, attracting more than 400m visitors over six weeks and is held every 12 years.
“Some people have got injured and have been hospitalised after a barrier broke at the Sangam. We are yet to have the exact count of those injured,” Akanksha Rana, a state government official, was quoted telling the PTI in The Hindu report.
One doctor told the AFP news agency at least 15 people had been been killed in the crowd crushes, but officials have not yet confirmed any casualty figures.
The Guardian cited a paramilitary officer at the scene who gave estimates of 200 injured and 50 dead.
The incident happened as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to take a holy bath at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the panic in the city of Prayagraj.
The incident is said to have happened as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to take a holy bath (Photo by Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images)News agency Press Trust of India cited authorities who said injured people were sent to a hospital.
To accommodate tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists visiting the festival, authorities have built a sprawling tent city on the riverbanks.
It is equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets and also has roads, electricity and water, communication towers and 11 hospitals.
About 50,000 security personnel are stationed in the city to maintain law and order and manage crowds. Stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas.
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