Mahakumbh stampede: Vehicles with thousands stuck at UP-MP border amid Mauni Amavasya crowd in Prayagraj

A tragic stampede occurred at the Mauni Amavasya event in Prayagraj. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath confirmed the situation is now stable.

Huge crowds and a stampede-like situation at Mahakumbh on early Wednesday morning resulted in several vehicles carrying thousands of devotees to the mega religious gathering in Prayagraj stuck at the border between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

Prayagraj, India, Jan 29, 2025:::Devotees jumped the barricades as a massive crowd arrived to bath in Sangam on the occasion of 'Mauni Amavasya' at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.(Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times)

Food and accommodation arrangements were made for the devotees stranded in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, chief minister Mohan Yadav said in a post on X.

Rewa city is located 130 km from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.

“Our police and administration officials are present on the spot, who are taking care of the proper arrangements for food and accommodation of all the devotees there, along with this, a team of doctors has also been made available on the spot for health related needs,” Mohan Yadav said in the post.

He also appealed to all the devotees to follow the administration's guidelines and maintain restraint.

Yadav is currently visiting Japan in connection with the Global Investors Summit scheduled later this month.

Crores of devotees gathered in Prayagraj for the ‘amrit snan’ on the occasion of ‘Mauni Amavasya’ on Wednesday. A stampede occurred early in the morning as the crowd swelled.

Mahakumbh stampede

The morning of the Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Maha Kumbh mela in Prayagraj, took a tragic turn when a stampede-like situation broke out due to overcrowding.

The incident occurred when crores of people gathered at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three rivers- Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati, to participate in the second ‘shahi snan’, also known as ‘Amrit Snan’. The first ‘Amrit Snan’ was held on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14.

At least 15 people are feared to have died in the stampede, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. However, no official figure has been confirmed by the authorities.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the situation is now under control and all the akharas have agreed to let the devotees take the holy dip first. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly spoke to the UP CM multiple times, and has condoled the deaths in a social media post.

The ‘amrit snan’ went forward after a brief pause.