On 29 January 2025, crowd crushes occurred at the 2025 Prayag Kumbh Mela[1][2] at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj,[3] in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

[8] The official death toll count has been disputed, with reports suggesting the actual number of fatalities being higher than the government’s figure.

Multiple crowd crushes have occurred during the festival, with at least 400 people dying in the 1954 edition and 36 killed in an incident at Railway station at 2013.

[3][15] The festival's special executive officer Akanksha Rana said the incident began after a festival barrier broke,[12] while Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath blamed the incident on devotees trying to cross over barricades delineating the designated bathing area for akharas.

[11] Officials tried to divert incoming crowds away from the site of the crush and told them using megaphones to bathe at other locations but were sidelined by attendees.

[21] Authorities initially denied that the crush or casualties had occurred before announcing on the evening of 29 January that at least 30 people had died.

[25] Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi blamed the incident on "mismanagement" and a "focus on VIP movement" by organisers, which were also part of recurring complaints by ordinary attendees.