Officials had been preparing for months for the world’s largest religious festival, with around 400 million Hindu pilgrims expected to take part

A stampede broke out at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Wednesday (). The incident occurred as crores of people went to the Triveni Sangam for a ‘Amrit Snan’ (holy dip) on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

A stampede-like situation at the Maha Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya morning on Wednesday (29 January) left around 30 women injured, prompting Akharas to cancel their holy dip. A massive influx of devotees into Prayagraj's tent city for the 'Amrit Snan' led to overcrowding near the Sangam.