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.
Qarabağ FK is facing Ajax in a key Champions League league phase match at the Tofiq Bəhramov Stadium in Baku....
Uzbekistan will introduce a nationwide system to assess the resilience of officials and civil service candidates to corruption risks from 2026, accord...
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has thanked U.S. President Donald Trump. In his letter, the head of state expressed deep gratitud...
Hungary’s move to secure guaranteed Russian gas transit through Türkiye has stabilised a key supply corridor, but the country’s continued relianc...
Ukraine faces a narrowing diplomatic space as pressure builds around U.S. backed peace proposals, warning that the structure of the conflict may leave...
Hate speech targeting Muslims and Christians in India surged by 74% in 2024, driven by election-season rhetoric and unrest in neighboring Bangladesh, according to a new report from the India Hate Lab, a Washington-based research organization.
Indian authorities have ordered a magisterial inquiry and promised financial support after a fire tore through the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, Goa, killing 25 people.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 6th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian President Vladimir Putin departed New Delhi on Friday after a two-day state visit, during which he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to deepen trade and defence cooperation, while Russia offered uninterrupted fuel supplies to India.
Scores of demonstrators gathered outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo Tuesday (9 December) to protest against the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Pressure is mounting between Venezuela and the United States as both nations emphasise military preparedness and strategic positioning.
Iran and Saudi Arabia reiterated their commitment to enhance ties following a joint meeting with China in Tehran on Tuesday to follow up on implementation of the 2023 Beijing Agreement which resulted in resumption of their diplomatic relations after eight years.
Tanzania's government warned on Monday that protests scheduled for Tuesday would be illegal and amounted to an attempted coup, as security forces were heavily deployed in major cities.
The world’s leading minds and voices will be honoured on Wednesday, 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, as Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm and Oslo.
Qarabağ FK is facing Ajax in a key Champions League league phase match at the Tofiq Bəhramov Stadium in Baku.
Hungary’s move to secure guaranteed Russian gas transit through Türkiye has stabilised a key supply corridor, but the country’s continued reliance on Moscow raises questions.
Ukraine faces a narrowing diplomatic space as pressure builds around U.S. backed peace proposals, warning that the structure of the conflict may leave little room to avoid difficult territorial choices.
Democracies must be prepared to fight for freedom in order to survive, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Wednesday, in a speech delivered by her daughter during a ceremony Machado could not attend.
The possibility of restricting social media access for children is a hot topic in the European Union and the United Kingdom, after Australia implemented a world-first ban for those under 16. Lawmakers have labelled the ban a “real-world test” of how far governments can go to protect young people.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment