Eyewitnesses have recounted harrowing scenes of chaos and panic as a stampede unfolded at the Sangam during the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday, leaving several feared dead and many injured.
The stampede occurred as a massive gathering assembled for the sacred Amrit Snan ritual on Mauni Amavasya.
This year’s Mauni Amavasya holds added spiritual importance due to the rare celestial alignment of Triveni Yog, taking place after 144 years, drawing an estimated 10 crore pilgrims to Prayagraj.
Vivek Mishra, an eyewitness who sustained injuries while helping others, described the confusion caused by hidden dustbins and the absence of clear directions for the crowd.
“The incident happened around 2.30 am when a large number of devotees arrived at the Sangam banks. The main issue was that the crowd didn’t know where to go after bathing. Many people were carrying heavy luggage on their heads, and there were numerous iron dustbins that pilgrims couldn’t see," Mishra stated.
"A few people lost their balance and fell, and their luggage was scattered all over. I also fell after my feet got stuck in one of the dustbins, lost my shoes, and was left barefoot. I injured my feet. I somehow got up and helped my parents and another woman who were lying on the ground. That’s when the youngsters in the crowd started pushing others, leading to the stampede. I can't fully describe what I saw at ground zero,” Mishra recounted.
Ram Singh, a resident of Fatehpur, attributed the chaos to a blocked exit route.
"The exit route was completely blocked, so the situation worsened. Four of our group had already gone ahead, and we had told them to stay at Nandni Dwar. The four of us got stuck behind. A lot of people were falling in front of us. The stampede happened because the road was jammed," he explained.
Another eyewitness, Baljeet Singh from Balia, described how the sheer size of the crowd led to chaos.
"Suddenly, there was such a huge crowd that everyone got crushed. There were 14 of us, and we couldn’t even tell where anyone had gone. We were going for the bath, and people were coming back from there. We didn’t even realise how the crowd got so large, and then people started falling."
Although officials have yet to confirm a death toll, sources speaking on condition of anonymity indicated that at least 15 bodies had been taken to the hospital.
The district magistrate of Mahakumbh Nagar has reportedly instructed security personnel to manage the overcrowding in Prayagraj following the tragic incident.
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