A deadly stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, left at least seven people dead and dozens injured in the early hours of Wednesday, according to an unnamed official. However, local authorities have yet to confirm the casualties.
The incident occurred as massive crowds rushed to take a pre-dawn dip at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers—a ritual believed to absolve sins and grant liberation from the cycle of life and death.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with people falling and being trampled as crowds surged toward the river. "We saw people falling, lying on top of one another, and crushing others in search of a safe place," said Shweta Tripathi, a festival attendee from Uttar Pradesh.
By Tuesday, nearly 200 million people had attended the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, which is expected to draw around 400 million over its six-week duration. Visuals from the site showed scattered belongings, distressed attendees searching for lost items, and some carrying containers filled with holy water.
Abhishek Kumar, another attendee, recounted the lack of crowd control. "Some were returning after their dip while others rushed forward, leading to a crush. There was no coordination," he told ABP news. He and others carried injured women to a makeshift hospital, unsure if they had survived.
Authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the cause of the stampede or the number of casualties.
Thailand repatriated two Cambodian soldiers on Friday from a group of 20 detained last week, just days before crucial talks in Malaysia aimed at uphol...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is set to visit Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 3 August, to meet with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev....
Russian energy giant Gazprom increased its average daily natural gas supplies to Europe by 37% in July compared to June, when maintenance activities h...
Southeast Asian nations expressed relief on Friday after the United States imposed tariffs on their exports that were significantly lower than anticip...
Julie Stufft, U.S. President Trump’s nominee for Ambassador to Kazakhstan, outlined her priorities during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confi...
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will impose a 25% tariff on imports from India starting August 1, along with an additional, unspecified penalty.
India’s defence minister has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that he brokered a ceasefire with Pakistan in May, insisting New Delhi halted fighting only after achieving its military and political objectives.
A man posing as an ambassador has been arrested near New Delhi for running a bogus embassy from a rented home, scamming people with false promises of overseas jobs.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday praised Pakistan's role in promoting regional stability and discussed deeper cooperation on counterterrorism, trade, and critical minerals during a meeting in Washington with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
Thailand repatriated two Cambodian soldiers on Friday from a group of 20 detained last week, just days before crucial talks in Malaysia aimed at upholding a fragile ceasefire along the disputed Thai-Cambodian border.
Russian energy giant Gazprom increased its average daily natural gas supplies to Europe by 37% in July compared to June, when maintenance activities had curbed exports, calculations based on transmission data showed on Friday.
Southeast Asian nations expressed relief on Friday after the United States imposed tariffs on their exports that were significantly lower than anticipated- settling around 19% for the region’s largest economies and helping level the competitive field.
Germany announced on Friday it will send two more Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, following a deal with the United States that ensures Berlin will be prioritised for receiving the latest replacements.
The freeze on President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs ended on Friday, triggering new duties that Ford says have already cost it $2 billion and prompting warnings from global manufacturers and U.S. allies.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment