Bodies, clothes, bags lie on ground after deadly stampede at mass Hindu gathering in India

A deadly stampede occurred at the Maha Kumbh Mela, the world's largest human gathering, in northern India, leaving behind a scene littered with bodies, clothing, and bags. According to Reuters, citing three police sources, nearly 40 bodies have been taken to the mortuary at a hospital near the site of the stampede.

One source stated, "More bodies are being brought in, and we have nearly 40 bodies here. We are also moving them out and handing them over to their families one by one." Previously, an unnamed official said that at least seven people had died and dozens were injured in the stampede that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday local time. Twelve hours after the incident, local authorities had not confirmed the number of deaths or injuries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the "devotees who lost their loved ones" and said that local officials were doing "everything possible" to help the victims, but did not specify the number of deaths. Witnesses described large crowds surging toward the confluence of three holy rivers—the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the ancient mythical Saraswati—in Prayagraj for pre-dawn bathing.

Shweta Tripathi, a resident of Sant Kabir Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, said, "We saw people falling, one over the other, and trampling each other to find a safe place. As we moved on, we saw clothes, people's bodies, their bags, clothes, and other things scattered everywhere." She added, "It all happened so quickly, I couldn't process it, and I started crying. Luckily, no one in our group was hurt, and we are all safe." She also saw a child and his relatives crying next to the bodies of their loved ones. "I don't think I'll ever come again," she said.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering, is a six-week-long event that attracts approximately 400 million people. Since it began two weeks ago, nearly 200 million people have attended the 2025 festival. Visuals showed distraught participants searching for their belongings amid scattered piles of bags, clothing, and water bottles. Abhishek Kumar, who also attended the Mela with some relatives, said he saw people falling as they surged towards those bathing. "Some people were returning after bathing, and others were rushing towards the river. There was absolutely no coordination between the two groups," he told ABP News channel. "Some of the women in our group were elderly, and they tripped. People trampled over them in the rush to leave."

Kumar said that due to the crowds, it took him and others more than an hour to reach a makeshift hospital near the festival site. "As far as we know, the women we brought were not breathing, but we are not sure," he added. "We just carried them on our shoulders and ran."