Prime Minister Narendra Modi and federal ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah have expressed condolences for the victims of the Kumbh Mela crush, acknowledging the loss of lives.
However, the Uttar Pradesh government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Yogi Adityanath, have remained silent on the death toll. The have only said that several people have been injured, some critically.
Despite numerous eyewitness reports and videos indicating fatalities, local authorities have yet to release official numbers or comment on the scale of the tragedy, nearly 12 hours after the incident.
The contrast between the central and state responses has sparked criticism, with many questioning the lack of transparency.
The public is demanding clarity from local officials, while anxious families wait outside hospitals, desperate for news of their missing loved ones. In the chaos, key communication has been itself a casualty.
Image source,ReutersDespite the morning’s deadly crush, tens of thousands of people are still arriving to take a dip at the confluence.
But I can see that stricter security measures are in place now. Police are directing devotees towards other river banks and asking them not to converge at the confluence.
The pilgrims I spoke to say they were shaken by the incident but would continue with their plans to take a dip.
“I have taken a long journey from Madhya Pradesh [a neighbouring state] to come here and I can’t go back without taking a dip. Faith is above everything else for me,” Anuj Jaiswal, a devotee, says.
Eyewitness Kishan told the BBC earlier that he was among the devotees waiting to take a dip at the Sangam when he and the others felt like they were being pushed.
“We were thrown. Some ladies fell. We surrounded them. Anything could have happened at that moment. The crowds were diverted otherwise it would have been worse.”
We reported earlier that Kumbh Mela is usually so big that it can be seen from space.
This week, Nasa astronaut Don Pettit posted images captured by the International Space Station (ISS) – 400km (248 miles) above in the sky – to show how the mela ground transforms at night into an illuminated sea of humanity.
“2025 Maha Kumbh Mela Ganges river pilgrimage from the ISS at night. The largest human gathering in the world is well lit,” he wrote on X in a post that has attracted more than a million views.
In pictures: Scenes from the site of the crushpublished at 10:03
We are bringing you some pictures of the aftermath of the crush.
An eyewitness told us earlier how the chaos unfolded on the banks of the Ganges – where at least 12 people are believed to have died.
Image source,Getty ImagesPilgrims searched the sea of abandoned belongings left behind as the crowd surged
Image source,ReutersA man pictured crying after the crush at the world’s largest religious gathering
Image source,Getty ImagesAmbulances took the injured to hospital – we are yet to receive confirmation of the number of casualties
Image source,ReutersSecurity rushed to the scene and urged people to vacate the river bank after taking a holy dip
Image source,ReutersPilgrims gathered in the aftermath of the crowd surge, consoling one another
Image source,Getty ImagesA pilgrim wept outside the hospital where some victims of the crush were treated
Source: bbc.com
