2013 Prayag Kumbh Mela stampede

Deadly human stampede in Uttar Pradesh, India

Kumbh Mela stampede Allahabad 2013Date| 10 February 2013 (2013-02-10)

|

Location| Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Deaths| 42
Non-fatal injuries| 45

On 10 February 2013, during the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela, a stampede broke out at the train station in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, killing 42 people and injuring at least 45 people.

## Background[edit]

The Triveni Sangam, or the intersection of Yamuna River and Ganges River and the mythical Saraswati River, where devotees perform rituals, and the site of the great baths during Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu religious festival that is celebrated every three years in four rotating places. The 2013 event was considered a Maha Kumbh Mela, which comes around only once every 144 years. It lasted 55 days and was expected to be attended by 100 million pilgrims, making it the largest temporary gathering of people in the world at that time. A temporary city covering an area larger than Athens was set up to accommodate the crowds.[1] Sunday, 10 February was considered the most auspicious day, and 30 million people descended to Allahabad to bathe at the confluence of the Yamuna and the Ganges rivers.[1][2]

## The stampede[edit]

According to initial reports, the stampede broke out after a railing on a footbridge collapsed at the Allahabad railway station. Eyewitnesses, however, said that the stampede was triggered after the railway police charged at the crowd with wooden sticks in order to control the huge rush at the station. 42 people were killed by the crush of people, including 29 women, 12 men, and an eight-year-old girl who died after waiting almost two hours for help.[3] At least 45 people were injured in addition.[4]

In an unrelated event earlier that day, two people were killed in another stampede.[5]

## Reaction[edit]

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed condolences and offered compensation to the affected people.[6] Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav constituted a committee to probe the stampede.[7] Uttar Pradesh's Panchayati Raj minister, Balram Yadav said that the inquiry would be launched and completed within a month.[8]

On 11 February 2013, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who was in charge of the Kumbh Mela, took responsibility for the stampede and resigned.[4][9] Praising the minister for his sincere work, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, rejected Khan's resignation. [10]

## Other stampedes[edit]

Due to the huge number of attendees stampedes are relatively common during Kumbh Mela festivals. The 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede was the deadliest since India's independence, with an estimated 1,000 deaths. The 2003 Kumbh Mela stampede killed 39 people in the city of Nashik, and seven were killed during the 2010 Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.[11]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Allahabad stampede kills 36 Kumbh Mela pilgrims". Reuters. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
2. ^ "India's Kumbh Mela festival holds most auspicious day". BBC. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
3. ^ "Police blamed for Kumbh Mela deaths". Bangkok Post. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
4. ^ a b "Kumbh Mela chief Azam Khan resigns over stampede". BBC. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
5. ^ "Two killed in stampede at Kumbh Mela". NDTV. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
6. ^ "Over 10 people killed in stampede at Allahabad railway station- Uttar Pradesh". IBN Live. 10 February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
7. ^ "Stampede at Allahabad Railway station: several feared dead; PM announces help". Hindustan Times. 11 February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
8. ^ "Allahabad tragedy Live: No idea why crowds surged, says Rail official". First Post. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
9. ^ "Azam Khan resigns as in charge of Kumbh over Allahabad stampede". The Times of India. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
10. ^ "Akhilesh rejects Azam Khan's resignation as Kumbh in-charge". Retrieved 14 February 2013.
11. ^ "Why We Shouldn't Be Surprised by the Kumbh Mela Stampede". The Wall Street Journal. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.

Portal:

* India

* v
* t
* e

* Disasters in India in 2013 (2013)

* February 10  Kumbh Mela stampede
* February 27  Kolkata market fire
* June 16  North India Floods
* April 4  Thane building collapse
* July 16  Bihar school meal poisoning incident
* September 27  Mumbai building collapse
* August 14  INS Sindhurakshak disaster
* August 19  Dhamara Ghat train accident
* October 12  Cyclone Phailin
* October 13  Madhya Pradesh stampede
* October 30  Mahabubnagar bus accident

* v
* t
* e

Crowd collapses and crushes

List of fatal crowd crushes

19th c.|

* 1807 Newgate Prison
* 1823 Valletta
* 1876 Brooklyn Theatre
* 1883 Victoria Hall
* 1896 Khodynka

20th c.|

* 1902 Shiloh Baptist Church
* 1903 Iroquois Theatre
* 1908 Barnsley Hall
* 1913 Italian Hall
* 1927 Laurier Palace
* 1943 Bethnal Green
* 1946 Burnden Park
* 1954 Kumbh Mela
* 1964 Estadio Nacional
* 1965 El Progreso Bullring
* 1967 Atatürk Stadium
* 1971 Ibrox
* 1974 Zamalek
* 1977 Xinjiang 61st Regiment Farm
* 1979 The Who concert
* 1981 Karaiskakis Stadium
* 1982 Luzhniki
* 1985 Heysel Stadium
* 1987 Shanghai Lujiazui
* 1988 Dasharath Stadium
* 1989 Tbilisi
* 1989 Hillsborough
* 1990 Mecca
* 1991 Oppenheimer Stadium
* 1992 Mahamaham
* 1992 Bastia
* 1993 Lan Kwai Fong
* 1994 Mecca
* 1994 Gowari
* 1996 Haridwar and Ujjain
* 1997 Uphaar Cinema
* 1998 Mecca
* 1999 Sabarimala
* 1999 Nyamiha (Minsk)

2000s|

* 2000 Throb nightclub disaster
* 2001 Mecca
* 2001 Ellis Park Stadium
* 2001 Accra Sports Stadium
* 2001 Akashi pedestrian bridge
* 2003 E2 nightclub
* 2003 The Station nightclub
* 2004 Mecca
* 2004 Miyun
* 2005 Mandher Devi temple
* 2005 Al-Aaimmah bridge
* 2005 Chennai (November)
* 2005 Chennai (December)
* 2006 Mecca
* 2006 PhilSports Stadium
* 2008 Bandung
* 2008 Naina Devi temple
* 2008 Jodhpur
* 2009 Houphouët-Boigny
* 2009 Mawazine

2010s|

* 2010 Kor Royal Cup
* 2010 Pratapgarh
* 2010 Love Parade
* 2010 Phnom Penh
* 2011 Sabarimala
* 2012 Port Said Stadium
* 2012 Satsanga Deoghar
* 2013 Houphouët-Boigny
* 2013 Kiss nightclub
* 2013 Kumbh Mela
* 2013 Madhya Pradesh
* 2014 Mumbai
* 2014 Stade Tata Raphaël
* 2014 Patna
* 2014 Multan
* 2014 Kwekwe
* 2014 Shanghai Bund
* 2015 30 June Stadium
* 2015 Haiti
* 2015 Mina
* 2015 Colectiv nightclub
* 2017 Turin
* 2017 Mumbai
* 2018 Caracas
* 2018 Corinaldo
* 2019 Antananarivo
* 2019 Karbala
* 2019 Caracas

2020s|

* 2020 Kerman
* 2020 Maligawatta
* 2020 Los Olivos
* 2021 Meron
* 2021 Astroworld Festival
* 2022 Vaishno Devi Temple
* 2022 Yaoundé
* 2022 Port Harcourt
* 2022 GBLA Stadium
* 2022 Giza
* 2022 Kanjuruhan Stadium
* 2022 Seoul
* 2023 Arabian Gulf Cup
* 2023 Pakistan
* 2023 Sanaa
* 2023 San Salvador
* 2023 Brazzaville

* v
* t
* e

Prayagraj division topics

General|

* Allahabad High Court
* University of Allahabad
* Doab
* Triveni Sangam
* Prayag Kumbh Mela
* 1954 Prayag Kumbh Mela stampede
* 2013 Prayag Kumbh Mela stampede
* The Leader (Allahabad newspaper)
* The Pioneer (newspaper)
* Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences

Mythology, history|

* History of Prayagraj
* Nehru–Gandhi family
* Sam Higginbottom

Districts|

* Fatehpur
* Kaushambi
* Pratapgarh
* Prayagraj

Rivers, dams, lakes|

* Ganges
* Yamuna

Languages, people|

* Standard Hindi
* Awadhi
* Hindustani
* Urdu

Transport|

* National Highway 2
* Grand Trunk Road
* Howrah–Delhi main line
* Allahabad Bypass Expressway

Lok Sabha constituencies|

* Fatehpur
* Pratapgarh
* Phulpur
* Prayagraj

See also|

* Cities and towns in Fatehpur district
* Cities and towns in Kaushambi district
* Cities and towns in Pratapgarh district
* Cities and towns in Prayagraj district
* Villages in Fatehpur district
* Villages in Kaushambi district
* Villages in Pratapgarh district
* Villages in Prayagraj district
* People from Fatehpur
* People from Kaushambi
* People from Pratapgarh
* People from Prayagraj
* University of Allahabad alumni

Other divisions|

* Agra
* Aligarh
* Ayodhya
* Azamgarh
* Bareilly
* Basti
* Chitrakoot
* Devipatan
* Gorakhpur
* Jhansi
* Kanpur
* Lucknow
* Meerut
* Mirzapur
* Moradabad
* Saharanpur
* Varanasi

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template