Drones Spray Ganga Water To Reduce Crowding, Lakhs Gather In Bengal
NDTV
The Gangasagar Mela in the east of the country has drawn comparisons with another "superspreader" gathering last year that the government refused to ban. It was blamed in part for a devastating Covid surge.
Drones sprayed holy water from the Ganga on thousands of Hindu pilgrims on Friday to reduce crowding during a massive festival being held despite soaring Covid cases in the country.
The Gangasagar Mela in the east of the country has drawn comparisons with another "superspreader" gathering last year that the government refused to ban. It was blamed in part for a devastating Covid surge.
Officials had said they expected around three million people -- including ash-smeared, dreadlocked ascetics -- to attend the festival's climax on Sagar Island, where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal.
"At the crack of dawn, there was a sea of people," local official Bankim Hazra told AFP by telephone.
