Many people are feared dead and dozens have been injured in a stampede at a Hindu festival in northern India.
Images from the scene in the northern city of Prayagraj show rescuers helping those hurt as police tried to manage the massive crowds.
It is not clear what triggered the stampede, but tens of thousands of people were attempting to take a holy bath in the river at the massive Maha Kumbh festival.
At some point, there was panic among devotees who had congregated from across India to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
Huge crowds gathered on Tuesday at the Hindu festival, the world’s largest religious gathering. Pic: Reuters
The Maha Kumbh festival, which is held every 12 years, started on 13 January and is the world’s largest religious gathering.
Organisers had forecast that more than 400 million people would attend the pilgrimage site over the next six weeks.
The huge number of people attending the festival is clear from this image of Hindu devotees arriving for a holy dip on Tuesday. Pic: AP
Authorities have built a sprawling tent city on the riverbanks, equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets and 11 hospitals.
Stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds can gather in small areas.
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