Fatal Stampede at Kumbh Mela - World's Largest Religious Gathering
- 11 years ago
A fatal stampede occurs at a train station during Kumbh Mela.
Kumbh Mela in India is said to be the world's largest religious gathering. Officials estimate 80 million people will attend during this year’s event lasting 55 days.
Organizing such an event is an immense challenge and this year, one incident has resulted in fatalities.
Tragically, at least 24 people have been killed in a stampede while at the Allahabad railway station.
Nearly two dozen more people were hospitalized, some of whom were said to be in critical condition. Many festival attendees had been rushing to board a train on a platform when the incident occurred.
The bodies had been covered up with white sheets and even more horrifically, some appeared to be children. One of the pilgrims at the train station stated “I can’t believe God punished us this way. My 15-year-old son got injured. I wish police were more responsive.”
Kumbh Mela means "pitcher festival". It is possibly the largest gathering of human beings on planet earth for a single event.
Kumbh Mela in India is said to be the world's largest religious gathering. Officials estimate 80 million people will attend during this year’s event lasting 55 days.
Organizing such an event is an immense challenge and this year, one incident has resulted in fatalities.
Tragically, at least 24 people have been killed in a stampede while at the Allahabad railway station.
Nearly two dozen more people were hospitalized, some of whom were said to be in critical condition. Many festival attendees had been rushing to board a train on a platform when the incident occurred.
The bodies had been covered up with white sheets and even more horrifically, some appeared to be children. One of the pilgrims at the train station stated “I can’t believe God punished us this way. My 15-year-old son got injured. I wish police were more responsive.”
Kumbh Mela means "pitcher festival". It is possibly the largest gathering of human beings on planet earth for a single event.