After stampede, now massive fire breaks out at Kumbh Mela

Allahabad, Feb 15: Hours before the Shahi Snan on Basant Panchami on Friday, Feb 15, a massive fire broke out at Maha Kumbh leaving one dead and many others injured.

According to sources, the fire, which was caused by short circuit, has been doused. Questions once against started raising against Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's government which had claimed to provide proper security to the pilgrims.

The fire accident shocked all as this was the second tragedy at Maha Kumbh in less than a week. Earlier 36 people were killed in a stampede at the Allahabad Railway Station while several were critically injured. The injured were admitted to the Swaroop Rani Hospital and Railway Hospital here.

The tragedy occurred around 7 pm on a footbridge between platform number 5 and 6 of the station. Lakhs of people were present at the station around that time, many on their way back from Allahabad after taking a holy dip in the ongoing Kumbh Mela here.

It was 'mauni Amavasya', considered the most day of bathing during the religious congregation that takes place every 12 years.

Eyewitnesses said the stampede occurred after the police lathicharged to control the crowd. Highly placed sources in the railways, however, rubbished that there was any lathicharge and said the police only tried to bring the chaos in order.

Police sources said around 4,000 people were present at the stampede point. The railway authorities also ruled out that there was any railing collapse in the platform, which some media said, caused the tragedy.

Victims' kin said the authorities took more than two hours to respond after the incident. They said only one doctor was attending several people who were injured in the stampede.

While eyewitnesses said four to five people died at the station because they were not taken to the hospital on time, a news source said 10 bodies were lying at the station hours after the incident.

OneIndia News