At least 15 people died of unrequited love at a railway station in India's capital when crowds quickly scrambled to catch a train to the world's largest religious gathering, officials said.
Kumbh Mela has a history of crowd-related disasters, with tens of millions of Hindus gathering faithfully in the northern city of Prayagraj every 12 years. Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati River.
The rush at the New Delhi station on Saturday appeared to break out as crowds struggled to get on the train due to an ongoing event and ended on February 26th.
Dr. Ritu Saxena, assistant medical superintendent at Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi, told Agence France-Presse: They have not been exposed to open injuries. It could be most (probably dead) hypoxia or some blunt damage, but it will only be confirmed after an autopsy.
“There are also 11 other people who have been injured. Most of them are stable and have orthopedic injuries.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in X: “My thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one. I pray that the injured will recover quickly. The authorities are supporting all those affected by this stampede.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “very struggling with the loss of life due to stampedes” at New Delhi Station.
“In this age of sadness, my thoughts are the same as those of the bereaved family. I pray for speed. [recovery] For those injured,” Singh said in a social media post.
Capital Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said disaster management personnel were told to deploy, “All hospitals are ready to deal with the relevant urgency.”
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishno said additional special trains are being operated from New Delhi to clear the rush of followers.
The six-week Kumbh Mela is the only biggest milestone in the Hindu religious calendar, and officials said that around 500 million followers have already visited the festival since it began last month .
More than 400 people died after being trampled or drowned in one day of the 1954 festival.
In 2013, another 36 people were crushed. This was the final festival performed at Prayagraj.
