As Maha Kumbh Concludes With 63 Crore Attendees, Tragedies That Marred Grand Festival In Prayagraj
The Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj was marred by several incidents, including stampedes, fire, and road accidents.
The Maha Kumbh Mela culminated on Wednesday with the last shahi snan on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. While the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and Uttar Pradesh government boasted of record-breaking 63 crore people participating in this year's Maha Kumbh, the grand religious congregation came with its share of incidents that made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Prayagraj Stampede
The first major mishap took place on January 29 ahead of the Mauni Amawasya shahi snan. The pre-dawn stampede, which killed at least 30 people, according to official figures broke out after many pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on of the auspicious days.
Massive Fire Breaks Out In Sector 19
A massive fire broke out in Sector 19 of the Mela area following the explosion of two to three gas cylinders. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached the site and assessed the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the CM and sought information about the incident.
While no injuries or casualties were reported, reports suggested that 18 tents were gutted in the fire which was later contained. Apart from this, there had been several more incidents of fire during the Maha Kumbh Mela.
New Delhi Railway Station Stampede
Another stampede broke out in the national capital on February 15 when New Delhi Railway Station witnessed a sudden surge of passengers waiting to board Prayagraj-bound trains to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela.
According to official figures, 18 people were killed in the stampede including five children while over a dozen were injured.
As per the authorities, the sale of 1,500 general every hour, confusion over the name of trains and delays in train departures were attributed as some of the reasons for the stampede.
Road Accidents, Traffic Jams
There were several instances from various states in the country where vehicles carrying devotees to or from Prayagraj met unfateful accidents resulting in the deaths of many pilgrims.
Another issue which marred the religious event was long queues of traffic jams in and around Prayagraj as devotees thronged to the city to take a holy dip. Visuals from the city showed vehicles from various states dotting entry points, with police attempting to manage the crowd and direct vehicles to designated parking areas.
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