A tragic incident at the Kumbh Mela festival in India resulted in the death of a woman’s mother due to a stampede. The festival, which is the largest congregation of humanity in the world, attracts around 400 million people over six weeks. The festival involves taking a dip in the confluence of three sacred rivers to absolve sins and gain salvation. Over 36 million people had taken a holy dip by Wednesday morning.
Notable attendees at this year’s Kumbh Mela included government officials, celebrities like Chris Martin, and actress Dakota Johnson. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also expected to visit. Authorities had expected a record 100 million people to visit the temporary township in Prayagraj on Wednesday and had deployed additional security to manage the crowd.
A Rapid Action Force was called in to control the situation and rescue efforts were underway. Opposition parties criticized the government for what they perceived as mismanagement and prioritizing VIP guests over the safety of common devotees. This incident is reminiscent of a similar stampede during the 2013 festival that resulted in the deaths of at least 36 pilgrims.
Overall, the tragic stampede at the Kumbh Mela festival highlights the need for better crowd management and safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
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