’There was no chance for escape’: Tragic stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj, 15 feared dead

Mahakumbh Mela 2025: A stampede-like situation broke out at Sangam earlier on Wednesday, where several people, including women and children, suffered injuries.

A doctor at the Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, informed AFP that fifteen fatalities occurred in a stampede at the world's largest religious gathering.

Mahakumbh Stampede LIVE UPDATES

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, amid a sea of crowds converging at the Sangam and all other ghats created along a 12-km long range of river banks for the Maha Kumbh.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to review the situation. The Prime Minister called for immediate support measures.

What eyewitness say

"We came in a batch of 60 people in two buses, we were nine people in the group. Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled," Sarojini from Karnataka said, weeping outside the hospital.

"There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides," the woman told PTI Videos.

On Tuesday, in view of the anticipated influx of pilgrims, the Mela authorities issued an advisory urging devotees to follow crowd-management guidelines for safety and convenience.

Millions seek 'Moksha' at Triveni Sangam During Maha Kumbh

The Triveni Sangam, where the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers converge, holds immense spiritual significance in Hinduism. 1 Hindus believe that bathing in its waters, especially during the Maha Kumbh Mela and on auspicious dates like Mauni Amavasya, can cleanse them of their sins and lead to "moksha," or liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

Other significant bathing dates during the Maha Kumbh 2025

'Mauni Amavasya,' which marks the day of the second Shahi Snan, is expected to draw a crowd of 80-100 million people. Other significant bathing dates during the Maha Kumbh include February 3 (Basant Panchami - Third Shahi Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).

-With agency inputs