Quotes
Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled,
the Press Trust of India news agency quoted pilgrim Sarojini as saying
There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides,
she saidThis precisely is what may have happened in the Kumbh. Danger always lurks in such huge congregations and that is why even a rumor can lead to stampedes and people are unaware of what caused it,
said Azad
It was around 1.45 a.m. and people were getting flattened in the melee, and I could see this crush of humanity surge forward. Many women and children were asleep when the tragedy happened,
Saurabh Singh, a festival attendee, told DWThis tragedy could have been easily avoided if there was better crowd control and the presence of adequate police. But the administration blocked over 28 platoon bridges leading to the river, which were reserved for VIPs, leading to the chaos,
Shekar told DWThis technology, even AI, has not enabled authorities to manage crowds effectively and prevent overcrowding given that India has seen many stampedes in religious gatherings,
Yashovardhan Azad, a former police officer, told DWIn almost all religious stampedes, overcrowding, poor crowd management and rumors and panic have resulted in horrific tragedies,
a senior official at Black Tiger Security Services told DW anonymouslyI was numb seeing such a crowd, and an hour later, I saw lifeless bodies lying on the ground,
said SinghAbout 30 million people had taken the holy bath by 8 am Wednesday,
he added
Central and state governments should wake up now” to prevent similar incidents
he addedThe government said again and again on TV that the arrangements it had made were sufficient but we now see that they have failed,
university student Ruchi Bharti told AFP
A large crowd surged forward, pushing and trampling us,
Laxmi, shell-shocked and huddled under a thick woollen shawl in the morning cold, told AFPIf we talk about the worst organized Kumbh Mela in history it will be 2025,
Mata Prasad Pandey, a 65-year-old retired teacher, told AFPWe walked all over the night to reach out the bathing spot, but now I don’t think it’s safe to go there,
pilgrim Nirmala Devi told AFPElderly people and women are forced to walk for ages,
he addedPolice are using force to control the crowd and that’s why this happened,
she saidWe have children and elderly people with us,
she saidIf you see advertisements it seems like the government is providing world-class facilities,
he said.jpg)
We saw people falling, lying one above another and crushing others to find a safe place. As we went ahead, we saw clothes, bodies of people, their bags, clothes and other belongings littered around,
Shweta Tripathi, a resident of Sant Kabir Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, told Reuters
Some people were returning after taking a dip and others were rushing towards the river. There was absolutely no co-ordination between the two crowds,
he told ABP news channel