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.

PRAYAGRAJ, India — At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India.

By Adnan Abidi, Saurabh Sharma and Shivam Patel PRAYAGRAJ, India (Reuters) -Nearly 40 bodies were brought to a hospital morgue after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India on Wednesday, three police sources told Reuters,