Between 90 to 100 million pilgrims had congregated to take ritual baths in sacred rivers at a festival in northern India.

Videos from the scene showed victims being rushed to ambulances or lying motionless on the ground after a large crowd broke through police barricades.

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.

At least 17 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India early Wednesday, a doctor at a government hospital said.

People were trampled as pilgrims at the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s biggest gatherings, gathered where the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers meet.

Hindu devotees and mystics have gathered in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival, which is the largest religious congregation on Earth.

The grand inauguration of Uttar Pradesh Diwas, celebrating the state's remarkable journey and achievements, took place at Awadh Shilp Gram in Lucknow. From January 24 to January 26, this three-day celebration was inaugurated by the Vice President of India,

At least 30 people were killed and another 60 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival, a six-week Hindu festival and the world’s largest religious gathering.