More than 36 hours have passed since the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh, but for Manoj Dubey, sleep remains elusive. He has been searching frantically for his 72-year-old mother, Kamla Devi, who has been missing since the chaos unfolded.
Kamla Devi had traveled from Jhansi with a group of 18 devotees for the auspicious Mauni Amavasya snan. "We have searched every hospital, every lost-and-found center, but there's no trace of her," said Dubey, his voice breaking. "She was wearing a saffron saree and had an identity card around her neck, but her phone is switched off. We don't know if she is safe or injured."
The tragedy struck between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Wednesday when a massive crowd broke through barricades at the ghats, triggering a stampede that left hundreds of devotees trampled. Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with people falling over one another in the dark, shouting for help.
Nearly 18 hours after the incident, the Mela administration confirmed at a press briefing that 30 people had lost their lives and at least 60 were injured. A judicial probe has been ordered to determine the cause of the mishap.
Among those still unaccounted for is Munni Devi from Fatehpur. Her son, Shivnath Maurya, who works in Surat, rushed to Prayagraj upon hearing the news. "My parents and uncle had come for a holy dip. After the snan, my mother got separated from the group. We have searched every possible place, but no one has seen her," he said, his face lined with worry.
Similar is the plight of Sunita Yadav from Ballia, who had traveled with her extended family to Prayagraj. "We all gathered at Sahso Chauraha after the dip, but in the rush, Sunita got separated," said her husband, Dinesh Yadav. "We have spent the past day searching and filing complaints, but there's no information. The authorities are overwhelmed, and we are losing hope."
While many families continue their anxious wait, a few have been lucky to reunite with their loved ones. Among them is 65-year-old Annapurna Mishra from Odisha's Puri, who was found after being missing for nearly two days.
"My mother disappeared after our evening bath at the Sangam. We feared the worst," said her son, Abhishek Mishra. "Finally, a volunteer spotted her in Sector 20, disoriented and exhausted but safe. We are relieved beyond words."
In another case, 70-year-old Tara Devi from Aligarh, who had traveled alone for the pilgrimage, lost her belongings and went missing. However, she managed to board a train home on Wednesday night. "She always undertakes religious trips alone," said her son, Ravi Sharma. "When she didn't call us after the snan, we panicked. But by some miracle, she found her way back. Her lost purse was recovered and is now at the Mela's lost-and-found center in Sector 4."
Many stranded devotees are still trying to make their way home. Ram Pratap and his wife, Sumitra Devi, an elderly couple from Kushinagar, are among them. "We just want to reach the railway station and catch a train to Gorakhpur," said Pratap, adjusting his thick glasses. "But we don't know how to get there in this crowd."
Authorities claim that the newly established digital lost-and-found center is helping reunite people. "Most missing persons are being reported there, and we are coordinating to track them down," said Umesh Tandon, who oversees the Bharat Seva Dal camp in Sector 4.
Yet, the scale of the crisis remains overwhelming. By Wednesday evening, hundreds of weary devotees were seen lying around the lost-and-found center, waiting for any information on their missing loved ones. Many were too exhausted to even ask for help, their silent despair a grim reminder of the chaos that had unfolded.