Several people feared dead in stampede at Maha Kumbh festival in India

Hindu devotees search for their belongings after a stampede when Hindu devotees rushed to take a holy bath in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India. Picture: Deepak Sharma/AP

Several people were feared dead and many more injured in a stampede early on Wednesday as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to take a holy bath in the river at the massive Maha Kumbh festival in northern India ‘s Prayagraj city, local media reported.

Several pilgrims were injured, some seriously, in the stampede between 1am and 2am local time as they tried to jump barricades erected for the movement of religious saints, Uttar Pradesh state’s top elected official, Yogi Adityanath, said in a televised statement.