A Hindu devotee shouts as he makes way for the injured after a deadly stampede before the second "Shahi Snan" (royal bath) at the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 29, 2025. REUTERS/Sharafat Ali
PRAYAGRAJ, India (Reuters) - Moments before a deadly stampede at the world's biggest religious gathering in India, Hindu devotees queuing to take a spiritual bath in a river said they pleaded with police to open barricaded routes to thin out a surging crowd.
Police did not respond, they said, and soon people squeezed in the massive crowd began fainting, creating panic at the Maha Kumbh Mela Hindu festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.
