24 pilgrims go missing in Kumbh mela

SSP Kumbh mela Ajay Rautela said that out of a total of 27,200 people,who got separated during the Kumbh,27,176 have already been reunited with their families. Only 24 people are still missing and police is trying to find them.

While most of the missing people who were recovered were handed over to their family members,others whose families had left were sent home by trains and buses,he said.

At least 2-3 bodies were recovered daily from various places of Haridwar district last week and many bodies sent for post-mortem,the sources said.

According to hospital sources,several deaths were reported due to drowning. However,senior police officials refused to comment on them.

The sources said 73-year-old Gopiram Meena,who had come to take part in the Kumbh Mela on April 13,disappeared the next day.

After a week-long frantic search,Meena’s son Prahlad was told that his father had been cremated as an unidentified person on April 18.

Meena is not alone. Scores of bodies had already been cremated at Haridwar last week after police failed to trace their family members,the sources claimed.

Over 5 crore pilgrims and tourists have so far visited Kumbh mela,the biggest congregation on earth,will end on April 28.