Khumbh Mela: stampede at train station kills at least 10 people
Hindu devotees look up at the gate of the Shri Panchayati Akhara Bara Udasin as they gather ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela on January 12, 2013 in Allahabad, India.
At least 10 people died and dozens more were injured Sunday when Hindu pilgrims who’d traveled to the northern Indian town of Allahabad to participate in a religious festival rushed to board a train at the railway station, the Associated Press reported.
The stampede caused the railing of an overbridge at the station to collapse, adding to the chaos, the Hindustan Times reported.
New Delhi television reported that at least 10 people were feared dead, while the Hindustan Times said that 18 women and six men had been killed.
The pilgrims were among the 30 million visitors who were expected to take a dip at the Sangam, where the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers come together, on Sunday, the AP reported. The day was one of the holiest bathing days of the 55-day-long Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher Festival, held every 12 years in Allahabad.
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"I send my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families and wish those injured a speedy recovery," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday, according to the Hindustan Times.