Seven persons were killed and around 90 were injured when heavy rain accompanied by lightning and squall wreaked havoc at the site of the ongoing Simhatha Kumbh Mela here on Thursday evening, flattening and uprooting pilgrims’ tents.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed anguish over the loss of lives at the Simhatha Kumbh Mela and hoped for the early recovery of those injured.“Anguished over the loss of lives at the Kumbh due to heavy rains. May Almighty give strength to the bereaved families to overcome the grief,” he tweeted.
“I hope the injured recover quickly. I pray for the safety & well-being of all saints, pilgrims and tourists at the Kumbh,” Modi said in another tweet.
“Seven persons have been killed and 90 injured in and around the Mela area,” district collector Kavindra Kiyawat said. The second Shahi-Snan is due on May 9. A woman pilgrim was killed in the Undasa area when lightning struck her, Superintendent of police Manohar Verma said.
Nearly a third of the tents put by the pilgrims were blown off in the squall, another police official BS Chauhan said, adding that it would take at least a week to erect them again. Rescuers were clearing the collapsed tents and pulling out the people trapped under them. The rain made large parts of the Mela ground slushy, making the rescue operation difficult. Authorities have cut off the electricity supply to the area as a precautionary measure.