At least 30 people have lost their lives in a stampede at the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. 60 people were injured. The injured are being treated at a local hospital, reported Hindustan Times quoting Mahakumbha Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Vaibhav Krishna.

Although the stampede took place on Wednesday morning, the Indian authorities gave official information about the number of casualties only in the evening. On the occasion of Kumbh Mela, devotees bathe in the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati rivers, which are considered the most sacred in India. It is believed that taking a bath at the confluence of holy rivers will wash away sins and purify the soul. On Wednesday, there was a stampede during 'Amritsnan', which is going to be held on the occasion of Mouni Amavasya or Magh Krishna Aunsi. 

Indian media reported that the incident happened between 1 am and 2 am on Wednesday after some pilgrims tried to go to the Sangam after passing through the checkpoints kept by the police. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claims that he took bath with 8 crores on Wednesday. According to officials, 30 million people had taken bath by 8 am.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences through social media. The accident at Prayagraj Mahakumbh is very sad. I express my deepest condolences to the devotees who lost their loved ones in this,” Modi wrote. He says that he is in touch with the state government about the incident. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on behalf of the state government that a compensation of 2.5 million Indian rupees will be given to the families of the deceased. Talking to the media, he expressed his deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the stampede. He said that a three-member judicial commission has been formed under the leadership of Judge Harsh Kumar to investigate the incident. 

Leaders of the opposition party have accused the government of being responsible for the accident. They claim that the accident happened because the government could not manage the pilgrims who came to the fair. Leader of the main opposition party Congress, Rahul Gandhi, has claimed that the "tragic incident occurred due to the behavior and disorganization of the administration that only pays attention to VIPs".

In the Kumbh Mela which started on January 29, more than 200 million devotees have taken bath so far. It is estimated that around 400 million pilgrims will bathe in the 6-week long fair. It is said that the procession of the devotees participating in the fair can be seen from space. 

The origin of the Kumbh Mela is based on the mythological story of the battle between the gods and the demons over the Kumbh of nectar created during the churning of the ocean. It is believed that some drops of Amrit fell in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik in India during a fight between two sides over a pot of Amrit.

Although the fair will be held in all the four cities, the biggest fair will be held in Prayagraj. Since the battle lasted for 12 astronomical years, the Kumbh Mela is celebrated in four cities every 12 years on Earth. It is said that this festival is special because the planets and stars are lined up. Since such perfection was seen after 12 Kumbh festivals or 144 years, this fair is called 'Maha Kumbh'. 

Based on certain planets and constellations, the astrologers had fixed the date and auspicious time of bathing for this time. Based on that, it was said that five days other than Monday are auspicious for bathing. On January 1st Makar Sankranti, January 16th Mouni Amavasya, January 21st Basant Panchami, January 29th Purnima and February 14th Mahashivratri, the royal bath is scheduled, so these days are more crowded than other days. 

A vast tent city has been built on the banks of the river in an area of ​​4,000 hectares to accommodate pilgrims and tourists. According to officials, about 200 roads have been widened. According to Indian media, the fair is spread over an area of ​​about 4,000 hectares. 160,000 tents have been installed at that location. 1 lakh 50 thousand toilets have been constructed. 650 km of temporary road has been built at the

fair venue. There are 99 parking spaces for more than 5 million vehicles. 67 thousand street lights have been installed. 200 ATMs and 85 tubewells have been arranged for water. Similarly, 30 floating pontoon bridges have been constructed to cross the river. 50,000 police and security officers have been deployed for the security of the fair.

40,000 rechargeable bulbs, artificial security system, 27,000 AICCTV cameras and underwater drones have been placed at the confluence of all the three rivers to protect the pilgrims. More than 1 lakh volunteers have been mobilized for the management of the fair. Arrangements have been made for 15,000 cleaning workers.

It is said that the Indian government has arranged to spend 70 billion Indian rupees to organize the festival. According to local media, Uttar Pradesh state government will collect 2 trillion 50 billion revenue from the fair. The fair, which ends on the day of Shivratri, has been recognized by the United Nations agency UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity. 

NDTV has written in the news that Mahakumbha, which has attracted the attention of millions of people on earth, has also received interest from space. A photo taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit with a high-powered camera has gone viral on social media. The best astrophotographer Pettit posted a picture of the Ganga Nadi pilgrimage at night and wrote on social media X, "Ganga Nadi Pilgrimage at Night from the Space Station, Mahakumbh Mela 2025." The world's largest human gathering reflected in the light.