Maha Kumbh stampede: ‘We fell on ground, people trampled over us for 40 minutes’: Man whose grandma died recounts horror

Three people, including two women, from Haryana were among those who died in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, in the early hours of Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as Rampati Devi, 60, a resident of Jind’s Rajpura Bhain, Krishna Devi, 75, from Rohtak’s Sampla, and Amit Kumar, 34, from Faridabad.

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Rampati’s grandson Narender Kumar said that he along with his grandmother and six others from their village had gone to the Maha Kumbh to take the holy dip.

“Around 1-2 pm on January 29, all of us reached near the Sangam area and after seeing a huge crowd, we all decided not to take the holy dip. However, the crowd broke the barricades, which led to the stampede. We fell on the ground and people moved over us for nearly 40 minutes. Then an ambulance came, and we were rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared my grandmother dead. Her last rites were performed at our native village in Jind,” he added.

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Krishna Devi had gone to Prayagraj with her family. She died during the stampede while other family members escaped unhurt.

Amit died after his family members moved ahead of him. He fell on the ground and died of suffocation.