Camille Naredo

Hindu pilgrim take part in a mass bathing ritual along the banks of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on January 13, 2025. Niharika Kulkarni, AFP

Hindu pilgrim take part in a mass bathing ritual along the banks of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on January 13, 2025. Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India began bathing in sacred waters on January 13, as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people -- the largest gathering of humanity. (Photo by Niharika KULKARNI / AFP)

Article (news)

Maha Kumbh Mela

Agence France-Presse

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738137993294AFP__20250113__36TM6KM__v1__Preview__IndiaReligionHinduismFestivalKumbh.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Hindu pilgrim take part in a mass bathing ritual along the banks of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on January 13, 2025. Niharika Kulkarni, AFP"/>Hindu pilgrim take part in a mass bathing ritual along the banks of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on January 13, 2025. Niharika Kulkarni, AFP</div>PRAYAGRAJ, India (UPDATED) -- A pre-dawn stampede at the world&#x27;s largest religious gathering killed at least 15 people in India Wednesday, with many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders.Deadly crowd incidents are frequent occurrences at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, which attracts tens of millions of devotees every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj.As pilgrims rushed to participate in a sacred day of ritual bathing, people sleeping and sitting on the ground near the rivers told AFP they were trampled by huge swells of devotees coming towards them in the darkness.&quot;I was sitting near a barricade, and during the pushing and shoving, the entire crowd fell on top of me, trampling me as it moved forward,&quot; Pilgrim Renu Devi, 48, told AFP.&quot;When the crowd surged, elderly people and women were crushed, and no one came forward to help.&quot;<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/13/india-opens-giant-hindu-festival-for-400-million-pilgrims-1634">READ: India opens giant Hindu festival for 400 million pilgrims</a></div>Rescue teams carrying victims from the accident site weaved through piles of clothes, shoes and other discarded belongings.Police were seen carrying stretchers bearing the bodies of victims draped with thick blankets.&quot;At least 15 people&quot; were killed with dozens more injured, a doctor at a hospital tending to survivors told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to media.Authorities have yet to officially confirm the number of dead in the stampede, which took place around 1:00 am (1930 GMT Tuesday).Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the accident was &quot;extremely sad&quot; and offered his &quot;deepest condolences&quot; to relatives of those killed.&quot;I wish for the speedy recovery of all injured,&quot; he added.Dozens of relatives were anxiously waiting for news outside a large tent serving as a purpose-built hospital for the festival around one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the disaster site.<div>- &#x27;Please cooperate&#x27; -</div>The six-week Kumbh Mela is the single biggest milestone on the Hindu religious calendar.Wednesday marks one of the holiest days in the festival, when saffron-clad holy men lead millions in a sin-cleansing ritual of bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.Instead, officials were strolling the festival with loudhailers pleading with pilgrims to keep away from the disaster site and bathe at other locations.&quot;We humbly request all devotees do not come to the main bathing spot,&quot; said one festival staffer, his voice crackling through his megaphone.&quot;Please cooperate with security personnel.&quot;The Uttar Pradesh state government, responsible for staging the festival, said millions had already bathed in the waterways between midnight and the early morning.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters that medical workers were treating those seriously injured in the crush, adding that the situation was &quot;under control&quot;.Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the disaster on poor crowd management that prioritised the comfort of prominent pilgrims.&quot;Mismanagement and the administration&#x27;s special focus on VIP movement instead of common devotees are responsible for this tragic incident,&quot; he wrote on social media.<div>- &#x27;My family got scared&#x27; -</div><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gGvh6enMpd4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div>Railway official Manish Kumar said numerous special train services scheduled to transport pilgrims had been halted due to massive crowding at Prayagraj.Some devotees decided to make an early exit from the city.&quot;I heard the news and saw the bathing site,&quot; attendee Sanjay Nishad told AFP.&quot;My family got scared, so we&#x27;re leaving.&quot;The Kumbh Mela is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality.Organizers have likened the scale of this year&#x27;s festival to that of a temporary country, forecasting up to 400 million pilgrims would visit before the final day on February 26.Mindful of the risk of deadly crowd accidents, police this year installed hundreds of cameras at the festival site and on roads leading to the sprawling encampment, mounted on poles and a fleet of overhead drones.The surveillance network is fed into a sophisticated command and control center that is meant to alert staff if sections of the crowd get so concentrated that they pose a safety threat.More than 400 people died after they were trampled or drowned at the Kumbh Mela on a single day of the festival in 1954, one of the largest tolls in a crowd-related disaster globally.Another 36 people were crushed to death in 2013, the last time the festival was staged in the northern city of Prayagraj.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

A stampede at the world's largest religious gathering in India killed at least 15 people with many more injured, a doctor at the Kumbh Mela festival told AFP Wednesday.

A stampede at the world's largest religious gathering in India killed at least 15 people with many more injured, a doctor at the Kumbh Mela festival told AFP Wednesday.

15 dead in India stampede at Hindu mega-festival

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

World

15 dead in India stampede at Hindu mega-festival

Agence France-Presse,

Devesh Mishra

Published January 29, 2025 11:09 AM PHT

|

Updated January 29, 2025 04:07 PM PHT

Read More:

hindu

india

stampede

Prayagraj

Kumbh Mela festival

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.