Fifteen people died in a stampede on Saturday at New Delhi’s main railway station as a large number of pilgrims attempted to reach a significant Hindu festival in northern India, according to an official.
The caretaker chief minister of the Delhi region, Atishi, informed reporters outside a hospital in the capital that in addition to the fatalities, 15 individuals sustained injuries during the incident, as reported by Indian media.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his condolences via social media, stating that authorities were “assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede.” Furthermore, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the country’s minister for railroads, announced that an investigation had been initiated.
Prior to the stampede, the crowds at the railway station had intensified due to delays in trains heading to the Kumbh Mela festival, according to local media. The Ministry of Railways later deployed extra trains to help manage the situation.
The Kumbh Mela, which commenced in mid-January and is set to conclude later this month, is recognized as the world’s largest religious gathering, with government estimates suggesting it will attract over 400 million attendees over six weeks.
This year’s festival is taking place in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, where the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers converge. Hindus believe that a third, mythical river, the Saraswati, also joins these rivers at this sacred site, where devotees bathe in the waters to cleanse themselves of sins.
The event, termed a Maha Kumbh or Great Kumbh, is expected to be larger than usual due to a celestial alignment that occurs once every 144 years.
Managing the vast crowds attending the festival poses significant challenges for the Indian government. Last month, a stampede resulted in the deaths of 30 pilgrims as they hurried to bathe. In 2013, during the last Kumbh Mela held in Prayagraj, 42 individuals lost their lives in a stampede at the train station. Additionally, in 2003, 39 devotees were killed in a crush in the western city of Nasik.
In 1954, during the first Kumbh Mela following India’s independence, hundreds of pilgrims died in a stampede.