Prayagraj Mahakumbh Stampede | As young, old wait for bodies, locals offer helping hand

People look for their belongings after the stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. (Source: Reuters)

Most of these volunteers are family members of Class IV employees at the college who reside near the mortuary located on the campus.

“We saw a large number of people gathered at the mortuary gate. It was heartbreaking to see elderly persons and children,” said Omwati, who works at the gate of the girls’ hostel of the college. She reached out to some neighbours and they all decided to prepare some refreshments for those in the crowd.

VIDEO | Maha Kumbh 2025: Addressing a press conference, DIG Kumbh Mela Vaibhav Krishna confirms 30 casualties in the stampede incident.

“On the Mauni Amavasya Snan, between 1 and 2 am ahead of the Brahm Muhurta, huge crowd gathered on the Akhara route, because of which the… pic.twitter.com/rgauSELmhJ

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 29, 2025

“Initially, people were hesitant to take anything, but as time passed, they accepted the tea and coffee,” she added.

The mortuary premises saw a large crowd, as grieving families gathered to collect the bodies of their loved ones after postmortem procedures. “After noticing some people sitting for a long time, we offered them food… but they declined,” said Meena Devi, whose husband, Panna Lal, works at the medical college.

Sagar Kumar, whose father Prem Chand works at the medical college, said they had prepared hundreds of cups of tea and coffee for those waiting outside the postmortem house since early morning. “We are still working,” he said on Wednesday late evening.

Crowds surge at the Mahakumbh grounds. (Express Photo by Chitral Khambhati)

4 from Karnataka feared dead

At least four people from Karnataka’s Belagavi, including a mother-daughter duo, were feared to be among the casualties of the Maha Kumbh stampede on Wednesday.  The victims from Belagavi were identified as BJP worker Jyoti Hattarwad, 50; her daughter Megha Hattarwad, 16; Mahadevi Bhavanur, and Arun Koparde. The Belagavi district administration has appointed two nodal officers—Special Deputy Commissioner Harsha Shetty and Additional Superintendent of Police Shruti N S—to travel to Prayagraj and make necessary arrangements to bring the bodies of the victims from the district back to Karnataka.    — ENS, Bengaluru

Crowd at Maha Kumbh Mela on Mauni Amavasya in Prayagraj on January 29. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)

According to the victims’ families, Jyoti Hattarwad and her daughter Megha had travelled to Prayagraj on January 26 by bus through a private travel agency. They were part of a 13-member travel group.

While there has not been an official confirmation about their deaths, Jyoti’s husband stated that Chidambar Patil, a fellow pilgrim from their group, informed him that his wife and daughter had lost their lives in the stampede.

ENS, Bengaluru