New Delhi, Feb 3: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking legal action against authorities and officials in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for their “negligent conduct” resulting in a tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh, in which at least 30 people were killed and around 60 others were injured.

A bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar suggested the PIL litigant, advocate Vishal Tiwari, who appeared as a party in-person, to approach the Allahabad High Court for redressal of the grievances raised in the petition.

The CJI Khanna-led Bench took note of the submission by senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, that a judicial inquiry has already been set up by the state government to probe the cause of the stampede and a similar petition has also been filed before the Allahabad High Court.

“It is something of concern and it is an unfortunate incident. But move the (Allahabad) High Court,” the apex court told the PIL litigant.

The petition filed before the apex court said the incidents of stampede have become regular and the incident in Prayagraj depicts the drastic condition and fate of people due to the lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities.

Apart from the “failure of maintaining and administering the supervision”, the plea alleged that the authorities had also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event.

“From the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede accident to the Maha Kumbh 2025 stampede in Uttar Pradesh which took around 30 lives and left several injured, it is clear and visible to mention that nothing in the administration activity of our country has changed wherein such actions could have been avoided by showing reasonable duty of care and upfront repair and development activity,” stated the petition.

Quite often there are reports of casualties occurring due to overcrowding and lack of management by the administration and its municipal bodies, it highlighted, adding that every time such incidents take place, it underscores that “we have not learnt anything from the past”.

As per the petition, the event of Kumbh is one of the biggest and leading religious events of the nation, and hence, it becomes the collective responsibility of all states to ensure the safety and secure visit of its respective residents.

“All states shall have to come forward for proper facilitation, security, medical facility, transportation and other facilities for their respective residents who are going to Maha Kumbh. Whenever such incidents happen, mostly the common and poor people become victims,” the petition said.

“There are several questions which are brewing up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of state government and Municipal Corporations,” it added.

Similar incidents of stampede had also taken place earlier in religious festivals, ceremonies and events, the petition said. It prayed that the Uttar Pradesh government be directed to file a status report on the Maha Kumbh 2025 stampede incident and initiate legal action against the authorities and officials for their negligent conduct.

On Monday, Parliament’s Budget session resumed with an uproar as the Opposition demanded accountability from the Uttar Pradesh government and accused the state government of concealing the actual number of deaths. They have also demanded a comprehensive list of those who died in the tragedy, slamming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for initially refusing to confirm fatalities for several hours after the incident.

Some Opposition MPs even called for the Chief Minister’s resignation. Amid the commotion, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged members to maintain order, blaming the Opposition for disrupting proceedings.

Washington, Jan 30: No survivors have yet been found of American Eagle Flight 5342 that collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near the Reagan National Airport in Washington DC Wednesday night.

Both aircraft fell into the Potomac river.

The plane was carrying 60 passengers and four members of the crew while the helicopter had three service members.

Rescuers had pulled out several bodies from the icy cold water of the river till early Thursday morning, but no survivors. The temperature of the water in the river was dangerously low around 0 degree celsius.

NBC’s Washington affiliate has reported rescuers have recovered 30 bodies from the river.

The plane was carrying passengers from Wichita in the state of Kansas to the National Airport.

DC authorities have said the plane had broken into pieces and the helicopter was found upside down in the river.

Rescue helicopters hovered over the river with flood lights as boats and rescuers combed the river for survivors and bodies.

The collision reportedly took place around 8:47 pm, local time.

The Army helicopter was a UH-60 Black Hawk on a training flight, US military officials have said. It was assigned to Bravo Company of the 12th Aviation Battalion, which operates out of Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, in nearby Virginia.

Two renowned former Russian figure skaters were on board the passenger plane, the Kremlin has said according to reports.

They were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov did not identify them at a briefing but confirmed when asked if they were on board.

He also suggested that other Russian nationals were aboard the crashed flight.

“There were other of our fellow citizens there as well,” he said.

Shishkova and Naumov won gold at the 1994 Figure Skating World Championship for Russia. The Washington Post reported the married pair lived in the United States since at least 1998, where they coached young ice skaters.

Washington, Jan 30: Several members of the US figure skating team were on board the ill-fated flight from Wictha to Washington, which crashed over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, according to an athlete.

A devastating mid-air collision on Wednesday has claimed at least 18 lives so far as rescue teams continue search for survivors. The crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk military helicopter.

Team USA pair skater Luke Wang confirmed the tragic news on X, writing, “Praying for all those on the flight from Wichita to DC. Among the passengers were skaters and coaches. Absolutely heartbreaking.”

“As we hold everybody on board in our thoughts, we will continue to wait for official information to be released,” he added.

The skaters were part of the National Development Team, a training programme for top juvenile figure skaters. Many competitors had remained in Kansas to participate in the National Development Camp after the US Figure Skating Championships, which took place in Wichita from January 20 to January 26.

Some athletes had stayed on until January 28 for the advanced training programme.

Team USA ice dancer Ethan Peal also reacted to the news, posting on social media, “I am in shock. Praying for families and my skating community.”

Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported that Russian figure skater couple Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board the ill-fated flight.

Their 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, a figure skater for Team US, recently competed in the US Championships in Wichita, securing a podium finish. However, it remains unclear whether he was also travelling with his parents on the flight.

The collision occurred around 9 pm local time on Wednesday as the regional passenger jet was approaching the airport for landing.

The jet had 60 passengers and four crew members on board. No survivors have been found so far.

The US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines, collided mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Runway 33. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon and the Army had launched an immediate investigation. Calling the incident “absolutely tragic,” he expressed condolences and assured that search and rescue efforts were ongoing.

Emergency response teams, including the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, were swiftly deployed to the crash site. Rescue boats continue to scan the Potomac River for potential survivors.

Reagan National Airport confirmed on X that all takeoffs and landings were halted while emergency personnel responded to the incident. The terminal remained open, and authorities promised further updates.

Authorities have urged the public to stay clear of the area to allow emergency teams to carry out their duties. Multiple agencies are working together to manage the crisis and provide assistance to those affected. The search continues, and more details are awaited.