A senior police officer said at least 30 people died as a crowd panicked at the Hindu Kumbh Mela mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.

Police said 30 people were killed in the crush at the world's biggest gathering of humanity and 90 were injured, but sources told Reuters the death toll was nearly 40. Some witnesses spoke of a huge push towards the rivers that caused devotees to fall on each other,

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.