Huge gatherings at India’s Hindu festival as virus surges

Devotees take holy dips in the River Ganges during Shahi snan or a royal bath at Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in the Indian state of Uttarakhand (Karma Sonam/AP)

Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees have gathered by the Ganges River for special prayers, many of them flouting social distancing practices as coronavirus spreads in India with record speed.

The Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, is one of the most sacred pilgrimages in Hinduism.