Prime Minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged there were deaths following a crowd crush at a huge religious festival in northern India
Government officials have offered their condolences for the victims but there has been no confirmation on how many people were killed or injured
Eyewitnesses and hospital sources have told the BBC that at least a dozen people died in the crush at the Kumbh Mela festival
The BBC’s describes scenes of “absolute chaos” at the river bank, with clothes, shoes, blankets and backpacks strewn on the ground as crowds tried to escape
Officials had predicted up to 100 million people were expected to attend the bathing day at the Kumbh Mela – one of the world’s biggest religious festivals
The BBC’s say “tens of thousands are still trying to take the holy dip” – but proceedings are “very muted.The Kumbh Mela – which lasts for over six weeks – is believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth, drawing tens of millions of people from all around the world.
The festival also has great religious and spiritual significance for devotees who believe that taking a dip in the sacred river will help them attain salvation.
