A fire broke out at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj today. Several fire engines have reached the spot to douse the flames. The fire incident took place in Sector 18 of the Maha Kumbh Nagar area.
No casualties have been reported.
“A fire broke out at a camp near Tulsi Chauraha on Old GT Road. However, firefighters have managed to bring the blaze largely under control,” said Inspector Yogesh Chaturvedi of Khak Chowk police station, as quoted by news agency PTI.
According to the UP government, over 397.4 million people have taken a holy dip in the sacred confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati in the ongoing Maha Kumbh. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a sacred dip.
This incident comes a week after 15 tents caught fire in an open area in Prayagraj’s Chatnag Ghat area. No deaths were reported, and the fire was quickly brought under control. The tents were later found to be unauthorised.
On January 29, a horrific stampede at Maha Kumbh resulted in the deaths of 30 people, leaving 60 others wounded.
The UP government announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the families of the dead. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also ordered a judicial inquiry and said that a judicial committee will submit its report to the state government within a time limit.
Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will continue till February 26. The remaining ‘snan’ dates in Maha Kumbh are February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).
