Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is the second top official after Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer condolences to the families of those who have lost loved ones in the crush. In a post on X, he called the accident in Prayagraj "extremely painful" and expressed condolences to victims' relatives.

The Hindu festival that turned deadly in northern India on Wednesday is a religious gathering with deep spiritual meaning for devotees who come by the millions to take a cleansing dip in waters they consider sacred.

Prayagraj: The Uttar Pradesh government has invoked strict measures in Prayagraj a day after a stampede took place in the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Authorities say that at least 30 people have died and a further 60 were injured in a crowd crush at the massive Kumbh Mela festival in India. The world's biggest religious festival and humanity's largest gathering,

IMAGE: Wishky Sharma, a member of the Kinnar Akhara congregation for transgender people, looks on outside her tent during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/ Rediff.com Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/ Rediff.com

Thirty people were killed in the stampede that happened just before dawn at the Maha Kumbh venue in Prayagraj of India's Uttar Pradesh, the police chief that oversees security at the massive religious gathering told reporters on Wednesday, January 29.

Eyewitnesses and hospital sources have told the BBC that at least a dozen people have been killed in Wednesday morning's crush at the Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj. A healthcare worker has told the BBC that the death toll in the crush is likely to be more than a dozen people.

Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, from January 13 to February 26, 2025, is a significant spiritual event for Hindus. Highlights include bathing at the Sangam, experiencing Lord Shiva's divine energy,

A senior police officer said at least 30 people died as a crowd panicked at the Hindu Kumbh Mela mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.

The Kumbh Mela happens every 12 years at Sangam, the confluence of three sacred rivers - the Ganges (Ganga), Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Hindus believe that bathing in the sacred waters will cleanse them of sins and help them attain salvation.