Almost a third of the tents put by the pilgrims were blown off in the squall, another police official BS Chauhan said, adding it will take at least a week to erect them again.
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A woman was killed when winds and heavy rains destroyed temporary structures built here at the Ardh Kumbh Mela visited by tens of thousands, an official said.
A woman pilgrim died after being struck by a lightning bolt.
Forty others were injured when the makeshift tent caved in following strong winds at one of the sites of the Kumbh, a pilgrimage that draws millions over four weeks to participate in a sacred bathing ritual. The injured have been rushed to nearby hospitals.
Police said rescue teams, comprising personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the police, fire brigade and other emergency personnel, were going round the venue to look for peope who might need help.
Simhastha Kumbh is regarded as the world’s biggest religious congregation. “May Almighty give strength to the bereaved families to overcome the grief”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
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” hope the injured recover quickly”.
