Kumbh Mela festival
On January 29, 2025, crowd crushes happened at the 2025 Prayag Kumbh Mela at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj,in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. At least 30 persons were killed, and 90 more were injured. This is the sixth crowd crush at the Kumbh Mela in the last 70 years. A second crush occurred in the following hours, killing seven individuals, including a three-year-old toddler. The official death toll has been questioned, with sources indicating that the actual number of fatalities is higher than the government's estimate. According to a Newslaundry article based on hospital and police records, at least 79 people have died. These disparities have prompted criticism of the government's handling of the tragedy, as well as calls for further transparency.
Report suggests 79 pilgrims died in Kumbh Mela stampede, far exceeding official toll
At least 79 people died in last week’s stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in India, far exceeding the toll of 30 claimed by the provincial government, an investigation by a news outlet has found.
Exclusive: Hospital, police records suggest at least 79 deaths in Kumbh stampede
The Uttar Pradesh government has officially claimed 30 deaths during the stampede at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj last week. The Adityanath-led administration was already under fire for the curious delay in announcing the death toll, and for mismanagement that allegedly precipitated the stampede.
Crowd science isn’t a mystery. Kumbh stampede was preventable
Maha Kumbh stampede shows deep cracks in crowd management. India, a country of 1.4 billion, can’t afford to keep getting it wrong.
Reports close to the date of incident
How joy turned to horror as Kumbh Mela festival crowd crush unfolded
As the sun set on the sangam, the sacred meeting point of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers on Tuesday, there was a mood of jubilation on the banks. This was the eve of one of the holiest days of the Kumbh Mela festival – the largest religious gathering not only in India but the world – and millions upon millions had made long, often arduous journeys to immerse themselves in the water.
At least 30 dead and 60 injured from stampede at Hindu mega-festival
The six-week Kumbh Mela festival is the single biggest milestone on the Hindu religious calendar and millions of people had been expected to participate in a sacred day of ritual bathing on Wednesday.
Authorities say at least 30 dead in Kumbh Mela crowd crush
Held every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela, which lasts over six weeks, is thought to be the largest religious gathering in the world, attracting tens of millions of people globally.
The incident took place between 01:00 and 02:00 local time on Wednesday (19:30-20:30 GMT on Tuesday) when a group of pilgrims broke through barricades, trampling devotees waiting to take the dip in the river. Devotees believe bathing there cleanses sins and leads to salvation.
Data Focus. Prayagraj Stampede: Crowd management concerns have persisted since the first post-independence Kumbh
According to the report, anxiety and panic are the two primary behavioral triggers of a stampede. Panic can erupt suddenly from a minor incident, escalating into chaos.
Deaths after the surge: On the stampede at the Maha Kumbh
The stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh — the third such incident in recent months — confirms India’s dubious distinction of having the most number of deaths during religious gatherings. While the day’s developments have not yielded conclusive reasons for the stampede that happened in the early hours of January 29, initial investigations suggest an uncontrolled surge of devotees at the bathing ghats.
Dozens killed in crowd crush at world’s largest religious festival
Dozens of people were killed in a crowd crush at the world’s largest religious gathering in India early Wednesday, as tens of millions of devotees went to bathe in a river on one of the most sacred days of a Hindu festival.
Police in India confirm at least 30 killed and 60 more people injured in crush – as it happened
Bodies were still being brought to the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College hospital morgue more than 12 hours after the tragedy at the world’s biggest gathering of people. 100 million people had been anticipated on Wednesday
30 dead, 90 injured in stampede at Maha Kumbh; Yogi Adityanath orders judicial inquiry
The stampede forced Akharas to defer the holy dip on the auspicious day that witnessed around eight to ten crore pilgrims visiting Prayagraj. People broke open barricades to reach the location of the holy dip leading to some women fainting on the spot
A second crush 3km away claimed 7 lives
The crush led to seven devotees, including three women and a three-year-old child, losing their lives, while over a dozen pilgrims were critically injured.
Moments before deadly stampede at India's Maha Kumbh, devotees pleaded to open more routes
PRAYAGRAJ, India, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Moments before a deadly stampede at the world’s biggest religious gathering in India, Hindu devotees queuing to take a spiritual bath in a river said they pleaded with police to open barricaded routes to thin out a surging crowd.
Police say at least 30 people have died in a stampede at the massive Maha Kumbh festival in India
PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India.
India: Could Maha Kumbh Mela stampede have been prevented?
At least 40 people were killed, and hundreds more injured, in the early hours of Wednesday when a stampede broke out at Maha Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival that attracts millions of people to Prayagraj, a city in northern India.
Dozens killed in crowd crush at world’s largest religious festival
Dozens of people were killed in a crowd crush at the world’s largest religious gathering in India early Wednesday, as tens of millions of devotees went to bathe in a river on one of the most sacred days of a Hindu festival.
Dozens of worshippers killed in stampede at world's largest religious festival in India
At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a crush at a huge religious festival in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state on Wednesday, local police said. The stampede appears to have happened when people who were sleeping on the riverbank were trampled by worshippers trying to bathe in the holy waters.
Kumbh Mela stampede raises pressing questions about crowd control
Given that this Kumbh has been widely recognised as “Digital Kumbh”, with extensive use of drones and AI-based monitoring systems, it is imperative to examine why real-time crowd density assessments failed to prevent situation from escalating
Officials draw up fresh plan for crowd management ahead of tomorrow’s amrit snan
Learning lessons from the January 29 stampede in which 30 people were killed and 60 others injured, the Maha Kumbh administration has prepared a fresh plan for crowd management for Monday’s amrit snan (or shahi snan) on the occasion of Basant Panchami.
The promotion of the Mela crowd management prior to the incident
Kumbh Mela 2025 Crowd Management Plans: Ensuring Safe and Smooth Participation
The Kumbh Mela 2025 is set to be one of the largest spiritual gatherings in the world, with millions of pilgrims and visitors expected to participate. Given the massive scale of the event, effective crowd management is essential to ensure safety, smooth operations, and a positive experience for all attendees. In this blog, we will outline the Kumbh Mela 2025 crowd management plans that have been put in place to handle the immense number of people and ensure the event remains safe and well-organized.
Tech-aided crowd management keeps Mahakumbh going smoothly
The ICCC, the watchtower established on the first floor of the Kumbh Mela Authority, is the heart that helps police and the district administration keep a watch on movement of influx of devotees
Kumbh Mela: What is the Hindu festival?
Millions of people will bathe in India’s sacred Ganges and Yamuna rivers as part of the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela.
It’s the biggest peaceful gathering in the world with over 120 million people expected over the next 49 days.
Mahakumbh 2025: Authorities using AI to manage crowd, avoid stampede at world’s biggest gathering
Organisers predict up to 400 million pilgrims will visit the Kumbh Mela, a millennia-old sacred show of Hindu piety and ritual bathing that began on January 13 and runs for six weeks
India uses AI to stop stampedes at world’s biggest gathering
Police official says footage fed into an AI algorithm that gives its handlers an overall estimate of a crowd stretching for miles in every direction.
India uses AI to stop stampedes at world’s biggest gathering
Prayagraj: Members of the traffic advisory committee (TAC_ of Kumbh Mela, led by additional DG (Prayagraj zone) Bhanu, Bhaskar, are carrying out physical verifications and spot analysis of railway stations, bus stands, major routes leading to mela campus and static spots to chalk out final blueprint of traffic and crowd management for Kumbh 2025
India uses AI to stop stampedes at world’s biggest gathering
Prayagraj: With around 40 crore people expected to arrive in tent city during the Maha Kumbh-2025, the mela police have devised an elaborate crowd management plan that included separate entry and exit routes.
India set for Maha Kumbh Mela, the world's largest gathering of humanity
PRAYAGRAJ, India, Jan 12 (Reuters) – A six-week Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival begins in India on Monday, a Hindu sacred event that will be the world’s largest gathering of humanity as it showcases religion, spirituality, tourism and crowd management.
