Several feared dead after crush at India's Hindu Kumbh Mela festival

Several people are feared dead and many others injured after a crush at India’s Hindu Kumbh Mela festival, the world’s largest gathering, early on Wednesday.

A local hospital official told ITV News affiliate CNN that 14 bodies were brought in around 4am on Wednesday, while about 20 people were being treated for minor injuries after pilgrims tried to jump barricades set up for religious saints.

“Suddenly, there was a huge crowd and we got stuck somehow. People started pushing aggressively and we fell,” one woman told local media from outside the hospital.

Barricades can barely hold the influx of pilgrims. / Credit: AP

Indian authorities have not confirmed the number of casualties. Akanksha Rana, a special executive officer for the festival, said that “several people” were injured.

Since the Kumbh Mela began on January 13, hundreds of millions have bathed at the meeting point of three rivers sacred to Hinduism – the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati.

At least 400 million people are expected to travel to the rivers over the course of the six-week festival. Hindus believe the dip will cleanse them of their past sins and end their process of reincarnation.

Local media reported witnesses seeing several dead bodies near the river bank where the incident occurred.

A volunteer helps people to look for their valuables after the stampede. / Credit: AP

Distressed families gathered outside a makeshift hospital, searching for missing relatives, as rescuers helped the injured and police struggled to control the crowds.

Clothes, blankets, and backpacks were scattered at the scene of the crush. The cause of the panic is not currently clear.

“The situation is now under control, but there is a massive crowd of pilgrims,” Yogi Adityanathsaid, adding that 90 to 100 million pilgrims had congregated there.

“About 30 million people had taken the holy bath by 8am Wednesday,” he added.

Millions continued to converge on the site even as police pleaded with them over megaphones to avoid the rivers.

Adityanath also urged people to take baths at other riverbanks instead.

Indian authorities previously said they had deployed around 50,000 security personnel and over 2,500 AI-controlled CCTV cameras to manage crowds and maintain order.

Deadly crushes are said to be relatively common around Indian religious festivals. In 2013, at least 40 pilgrims who were taking part in the same festival were killed in a crush at a train station in Prayagraj.