30 Killed, 60 Injured In Maha Kumbh Stampede, 25 Victims Identified: UP Top Cop

Vaibhav Krishna, DIG Mahakumbh, said that the stampede took place between 1-2 am, when a huge crowd broke the barricades, which resulted into the stampede.

30 people have died and 60 others have been injured in the Maha Kumbh stampede.

Source : PTI

Thirty people have lost their lives and 60 others have been injured and receiving treatment in hospitals in the Maha Kumbh stampede, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Vaibhav Krishna, DIG Mahakumbh, said that the stampede took place between 1-2 am, when a huge crowd broke the barricades, which resulted into the stampede.

The press conference of the top police official came several hours after the pre-dawn stampede took place at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. He also said that only 25 people have been identified so far and efforts are on to identify the remaining victims.

"Before Brahma Muhurta, between 1 am to 2 am, a huge crowd gathered on the Akhara Marg. Due to this crowd, the barricades on the other side broke and the crowd ran over the devotees waiting to take a holy dip of Brahma Muhurta on the other side. About 90 people were taken to the hospital through ambulances but unfortunately, 30 devotees have died. Out of these 30, 25 have been identified and the rest are yet to be identified," Vaibhav Krishna said.

#WATCH | Prayagraj, UP: DIG Mahakumbh, Vaibhav Krishna says "Before Brahma Muhurta, between 1 am to 2 am, a huge crowd gathered on the Akhara Marg. Due to this crowd, the barricades on the other side broke and the crowd ran over the devotees waiting to take a holy dip of Brahma… pic.twitter.com/ZL6KlmMf9k

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The officer said 25 of the deceased have been identified. Four of them are from Karnataka and one each from Assam and Gujarat. Among those injured, 36 are undergoing treatment at the hospital and the rest have been sent with their families.

"These include 4 people from Karnataka, 1 from Assam, 1 from Gujarat... 36 people are being treated at the local medical college. At present, the situation is normal. Keeping in mind the convenience of the devotees, CM Yogi Adityanath has requested all the Mahamandaleshwar, Saints, Akharas to take a holy dip with some delay...Amrit Snan of the Akharas have been concluded safely," he added.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has postponed his scheduled visit to Delhi for the assembly election campaign on Thursday to monitor the Maha Kumbh situation in Prayagraj. The CM also announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.

 

CM Yogi has also announced a three-member judicial commission, comprising Justice Harsh Kumar, former DG VK Gupta and retd IAS VK Singh to look into the reasons behind the stampede.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his deepest condolences to the devotees who lost their family members in the stampede, describing the tragedy as extremely saddening.

According to eyewitness accounts, one of the reasons for the tragedy was the sudden surge of pilgrims at the Sangam - all driven by an obvious desire to take the holy dip at 3 am, the start of the auspicious hour.

Amrit snan, the traditional bathing ritual of akharas, was deferred after the stampede but resumed in the afternoon. Around six crore devotees have took a dip on Wednesday.