Police say at least 30 people have died in a stampede at the massive Maha Kumbh festival in India

Seven people were killed in a stampede in northern India on Wednesday, as tens of millions gathered to take a holy dip during a six-week Hindu festival.

PRAYAGRAJ, India — At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India.

Police officer Vaibhav Krishna in Prayagraj city said another 60 injured were rushed to hospitals.

Wednesday was a sacred day in the six-week Hindu festival, and authorities expected a record 100 million devotees to engage in a ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. Hindus believe that a dip at the holy site can cleanse them of past sins and end the process of reincarnation.

Police officials walk through piles of personal belongings after a stampede at the Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad, India on Jan. 29, 2025.Ritesh Shukla / Getty ImagesThe stampede happened when pilgrims tried to jump barricades erected for a procession of holy men, Uttar Pradesh state’s top elected official, Yogi Adityanath, said in a televised statement.

The event’s main draw is the thousands of ash-smeared Hindu ascetics who make massive processions toward the confluence to bathe.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asia/seven-killed-stampede-maha-kumbh-festival-india-rcna189749

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