17 KILLED DURING RELIGIOUS GATHERING STAMPEDE

It’s believed that at least 17 people have been killed and more than 30 injured during a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering on Wednesday.

Pilgrims gathered for the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India, an event that only takes place every 12 years. This year, authorities expected 100 million people to be present. The festival takes place at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers.

The stampede took place when some of the pilgrims tried to jump barricades that were specially erected for a procession of holy men. Even though the stampede happened, millions continued to move through the 4,000-hectare site.

During the six-week Hindu festival, pilgrims dip themselves in sacred water. They believe a dip in the sacred water can cleanse them of any sins that they’ve committed in the past and end the process of reincarnation.

Statistics have shown that by 08:00 on Wednesday, about 30 million people had already taken the holy bath with millions still coming through during the day.

Nearly 150 million people have already attended the festival, including Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the country’s Home Minister Amit Shah. Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin has also attended already.

Image credit: CNN