January 29, As many as 30 people died while 90 were left injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj early on Wednesday. The mishap occurred when devotees thronged to the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
DIG Mahakumbh, Vaibhav Krishna, said, “30 people have lost their lives in the Maha Kumbh stampede that took place between 1-2 AM. 25 people have been identified and the identification of the remaining 5 is being done.”
The stampede forced Akharas to defer the holy dip on the auspicious day that witnessed around eight to ten crore pilgrims visiting Prayagraj. People broke open barricades to reach the location of the holy dip leading to some women fainting on the spot. The stampede began as the women fell unconscious with many of them being treated at the Bailey Hospital and Swaroop Rani Medical College currently. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “A large number of devotees had gathered in Prayagraj since 7 PM yesterday to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya. An unfortunate incident took place on the Akhara Marg in which over 90 people were injured and 30 people died.” He added that the state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the stampede.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said the local administration in Prayagraj is giving all possible help to the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Later at a poll rally in Delhi, Modi said, “We lost some good souls in the tragic incident at Kumbh and some people have also got hurt. I convey my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and pray for the early recovery of those injured”.
“I am in constant touch with the Uttar Pradesh government. Due to ‘Mauni Amavasya’, crores of devotees have reached there. For sometime, the process of bathing had been halted, but now for several hours, the yatris are taking a bath. I once again convey my condolences to the families,” he said.The Uttar Pradesh government has assigned over 1,000 medical professionals to the Maha Kumbh area and equipped each sector of the fair with facilities for both minor and major surgeries, according to an official statement. Additionally, a super-specialty hospital in Mahakumbh Nagar houses 300 specialist doctors to manage emergency situations.
Source:
www.firstpost.com
