Millions brave India’s Kumbh Mela despite deadly stampede

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At least 30 people were killed during the world’s biggest religious gathering, which has a record of dangerous incidents.

Agence France-Presse |
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Despite a deadly stampede, millions of Hindus continued to flock to the Kumbh Mela gathering in Prayagraj, driven by religious duty. Photo: AFP

Many people took a dip in India’s rivers late last month at the world’s biggest religious gathering. They were not shaken by the stampede a day earlier that killed at least 30 people.

Kumbh Mela attracts tens of millions of Hindus every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj but has a record of deadly crowd incidents.

January’s disaster happened when a large crowd fell out of a police barrier and trampled bystanders. The incident scared some pilgrims enough for them to leave the festival.

Others continued to arrive after the stampede. They said it was their religious duty to attend.

Police this year had placed hundreds of cameras at the festival site. The surveillance network fed into an artificial intelligence system meant to alert staff about crowd issues.

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