Cylinder blast in Digambar Akhada camp causes massive fire at Kumbh Mela, goods worth lakhs gutted

Massive fire broke out in one of the tents of the Digambar Akhada on the banks of Sangam a day before the beginning of Ardha Kumbh 2019 in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Monday. News Nation has learnt that the cause of the blaze was a cylinder blast in one of the tents. Several fire engines were also reached the spot. According to news agency ANI, teams of the National Disaster Response Force have also reached the site. Latest reports suggest that the fire has been brought under control. Prayagraj District Magistrate said that everone is s safe and that no one was hurt in the blaze. He also said that an injury will be constituted to find out the lapses.

#BREAKING: Fire breaks out in Kumbh Mela complex

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TV visuals showed people running for their safety. Plume of thick smoke could be seen billowing from one of the tents. The fire could have spread to a bigger area, but quick response from the authorities averted the disaster. One of the biggest human congregations on Earth, the Ardha Kumbh will begin with the first ‘Shahi Snan’ tomorrow. To make Kumbh 2019 a success, the Government of Uttar Pradesh government is carrying out many development works and taking several initiatives. Let's take a look at some interesting and amazing facts related to Kumbh 2019.

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A separate logo for Ardh Kumbh 2019 has been designed by the state government. The Kumbh Mela has been recognized by UNESCO as an 'intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The UN body inscribed it on the 'representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity' at its 12th session in Jeju, South Korea. Kumbh Mela is considered to be the largest religious gathering on earth. In 2013, an estimated 120 million devotees participated in Allahabad's Kumbh Mela. In other words, more than 10 per cent of the nation’s population converged at one point.

The Indian Railway will run 800 special trains to carry the devotees to the Prayagraj. Moreover, all the special trains are being vinyl-wrapped with pictures and messages about the Mela along with a logo designed for the occasion.

Beautification of all the important roads within the radius of 10 km from Prayagraj city is being done and over 2 lakh plants (with pots) will be planted.

For this first time, devotees will be arriving in the city through land, air and water routes. The mela area is being lit by setting up more than 40,700 thousand LED lights. 1,000 CCTV cameras will be installed in the entire mela area for better monitoring and mitigations of risks.