Panic broke out as tens of thousands of people were about to take a dip on Wednesday, according to authorities in the state of Uttar Pradesh. In addition to the fatalities, around 90 injured were taken to hospital, police said according to AFP.
Suddenly, there were far too many people, says Basdev Sharma, whose relative was injured in the chest and legs, to Indian Express.
People just walked right over her. No one even stopped.
Some tell the newspaper how they fell and lay in the crowd, others how they searched for family members who disappeared in the chaos for hours.
Washing away sins
Wednesday is a holy day for Hindus called mauni amavasya, when most festival visitors take a dip in the river water that flows through Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad).
A total of at least 400 million people are expected to visit the northern Indian city during the six weeks that the Kumbh Mela is held. The pilgrimage to the confluence of India's three holiest rivers – the Ganges, Yamuna, and Sarasvati – takes place only every twelfth year and is called the world's largest gathering.
According to Hindu belief, pilgrims wash away their sins and stop reincarnation by bathing where the rivers meet.
Eleven hospitals
For the authorities, the gathering poses an enormous logistical and security challenge. A giant tent city with roads, power supply, and water has been set up, as well as 3,000 kitchens and eleven hospitals. Around 50,000 police are on site to handle the crowds and 2,500 surveillance cameras have been installed, writes AP.
Accidents occur regularly at India's many religious festivals, which often attract millions of visitors to relatively small areas.
During the previous edition of Kumbh Mela, in 2013, at least 40 pilgrims died when panic broke out at a train station in Prayagraj.
