Families mourned the loved ones who were killed in the Kumbh Mela crush

This week, the families of those killed in a crush in a major religious festival in northern India are mourning their loss and waiting to take the bodies of their relatives back home.

At least 30 people dead In the crush at Kumbh Mela on Wednesday, which was one of the most sacred days of the six -week long Hindu festival.

The incident occurred in the city of Shovaraj near Sangam, an auspicious meeting point of the Holy Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers where devotees take a dip.

The festival was billed as the largest gathering of humanity, attracting millions of pilgrims from all over the world.

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Crush allegedly made its way to the confluence after a bounce by pilgrims, who trampled the devotees sleeping on the banks of the river.

Eyewitnesses have convicted police and festival officers for poor mob-control measures and did not make enough space for pilgrims to visit their destination.

The government has started a judicial inquiry into the incident in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

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

Kumbhi Devi, who traveled with her husband to attend the Kumbh Mela from the state of Bihar, says that she cannot shake the image of trampling in front of her eyes.

Ms. Devi told the Reuters News Agency, “He was dragged into anarchy and we started crying … ‘Let her free it! Let it be! We are here!’ Prayer to gather her husband’s body in the city.

Taposh Roy, a resident of the state of Assam, who lost his brother in the crush, remembers the delay in getting the help of the officials.

“He was just lying there for a long time because there was no ambulance to take him to the hospital. We begged the police saying that we would take him ourselves but he asked us to wait. When he took by the police. If we had gone, we could, we could. “T go with them,” Mr. Roy told the Indian Express newspaper.

It was also the experience of Tarun Bose of the state of West Bengal, who lost a female relative in the crush.

The AFP news agency said, “The officials failed to save him and the police managed to regain his body after only one and a half hours. There were no police officers during the accident.”

Deepak Hattarwat of Karnataka state is mourning the loss of his wife and daughter. He did not visit the festival and said that he came to know about his deaths only one day later and that too from a fellow passenger in his group.

“We were planning to marry her (daughter). What should I do and whom should I stay for now?” Mr. Hatterwat told the Indian Express newspaper.

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

Manoj Kumar Sahni of Bihar state told the Reuters News Agency that he was searching for his father who is missing.

He said, “I have been looking for him for the last three days. I went to the hospital too, but did not find it. We also searched at the railway station and bus stand, but did not find it.”

Since the incident, the authorities have carried forward security measures at the festival and vehicles have also been banned from entering the fair ground by 4 February. The next auspicious bath day is on Monday, when the festival is expected to see a large crowd.