NEW DELHI – At least 30 people were killed and 60 others injured during a stampede that took place early Wednesday at the ongoing mega Hindu festival, Maha Kumbh Mela, in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
The pre-dawn stampede was triggered after a barrier broke as tens of thousands of devotees thronged the Triveni Sangam on the occasion of taking a holy dip at Prayagraj, about 196 km south of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.
“About 90 people were taken to the hospital through ambulances, but unfortunately, 30 devotees have died,” a senior police official Vaibhav Krishna posted in Prayagraj told media during a press briefing in the evening. “Out of 30 dead, 25 have been identified and the rest are yet to be identified.”
The police official said 36 people were being treated at the local hospital.
In 2013, at least 40 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a train station in Prayagraj during the same festival.
XINHUA
