Families mourn relatives who have died in India crushed

Families from people who have been killed at a large religious festival in Northern India this week are grieving for their loss and waiting to take the bodies of their relatives at home.

At least 30 people die In Kumbh Mela's crush on Wednesday, which was one of the brightest days of the six-week Hindu festival.

The incident took place in the town of Prajagray near Sandam, a favorable point for meetings of the sacred rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, where the devoters are immersed.

The festival, charged as the largest gathering of humanity, attracts tens of millions of worshipers from around the world.

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Crush was reported to have taken place after a tide of worshipers heading to Sandam, trampled on the devils sleeping near the river bank.

Eyewitnesses have accused the police and festival authorities of bad measures to control the crowd and do not adequate space for worshipers to move to their destinations.

The government in the State Uttar Pradesh has launched a judicial investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, the victims' families mourn the loss of their loved ones, and some say that many of their questions remain unanswered. Others are still waiting for news for their relatives.

Caikiki Devi, who travels from Bihar with her husband to attend Kumb Mela, says she can't get rid of the image of him, which is tapping in front of her eyes.

“He was dragged into the chaos and we started crying …” Let him release him! Let it be! We are here! “

Tapos Roy, a resident of Asama, who lost his brother in the crush, tells the delay in receiving help from the authorities.

“He just lay there for a long time because there was no ambulance to take him to the hospital. We got tired of the police, saying we would carry him alone, but they told us to wait. When he was taken by the police, we could not be able to “Don't go with him,” G -N Roy told the Indian Express newspaper.

This was also the experience of Tarun Bose from Western Bengal, who lost a woman's relative in the crush.

“The authorities failed to save her and the police managed to extract her body only in an hour and a half. There were no police around the incident,” he told AFP.

Deepak Hatarwat of Karnakaka mourns the loss of his wife and daughter. He did not travel to the festival and says that he has learned about their death just a day later, and this is also from a colleague traveler in their group.

“We planned her wedding (daughter). What should I do and who to live for now?” Hattarwat told The Indian Express newspaper.

In the meantime, some people say they are still looking for their loved ones, more than 48 hours after the incident.

Manoj Kumar Sani of Bihar has told the Reuters agency that he is desperately looking for his father, who is missing.

“I've been looking for it for the last three days. I went to the hospital as well, but I didn't find it. We also looked at the train station and the bus stand, but I didn't find it,” he said.

Following the incident, authorities have strengthened security measures at the festival and also banned vehicles from entering the grounds of Mela until February 4. The next favorable day for bathing is on Monday, when the festival is expected to witness huge crowds.