'Deepest condolences to devotees who lost loved ones': PM Modi on Maha Kumbh stampede-like incident

Devotees being assisted by a police official after a stampede-like situation in Prayagraj-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed his condolences for the loss of lives in a stampede-like incident at Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh Mela.

"The accident that happened in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones in this. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured. The local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way. In this regard, I have spoken to Chief Minister Yogi ji and I am constantly in touch with the state government," the PM posted on X.

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Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 29, 2025

A stampede broke out at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh early Wednesday as crores of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath saying some devotees were "seriously injured".

The incident took place between 1 am and 2 am when some devotees climbed over the barricades at Akhara marg, he said. "Between 1 am to 2 am, at the akhara route where arrangements were made for the Amrit Snan of the akharas, some devotees crossed over the barricades and were critically injured. They were immediately rushed to hospital where treatment was promptly ensured,” he said after a high-level meeting in Lucknow.

According to officials, the situation arose in the early hours of Wednesday when a barrier broke at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. Akanksha Rana, Officer on Special Duty for the Mela, said, “Some people have got injured and have been hospitalised. We are still awaiting the exact count of the injured.”