Multiple people were killed in a crowd crush at the world’s largest religious gathering in India early Wednesday, as tens of millions of devotees went to bathe in a river on one of the most sacred days of a Hindu festival.

The festival’s special executive officer said a barrier near the river broke as throngs of people were walking toward the riverbanks to take their holy dip as part of the Maha Kumbh Mela in the Indian city of Prayagraj.

An official source at a local hospital told CNN they had received 14 bodies around 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. About 20 people were also being treated for minor injuries, the source added. Indian authorities have not confirmed the number of casualties.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the deaths in an address Wednesday, saying that the festival tragedy “has led to the loss of some virtuous souls, and some people have also been hurt.”

“I express my heartfelt condolences to the affected families, and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi added. He also said he is “constantly in touch” with the Uttar Pradesh state government.

The state’s chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, earlier said some of the devotees caught up in the crush were “seriously injured” and had warned people against spreading rumors.

Reuters and local media reported witnesses seeing several dead bodies near the river bank, and photos from Reuters showed bodies being carried from the site on stretchers.

Video by the news agency showed ambulances racing through huge crowds of people and casualties being brought to a nearby hospital. Security personnel could be seen helping devotees as scattered blankets and belongings lay strewn on the ground.

Speaking to local media, devotees said the incident took place around 1:30 a.m. local time and described chaotic scenes with people running in different directions and others falling over. Witnesses said families were separated in the surge of people and some remain missing.

Many people had already taken their holy dip and were resting on the riverbank when the crush occurred, witnesses told local media.

“Suddenly, there was a huge crowd and we got stuck somehow. People started pushing aggressively and we fell,” one woman told local media from outside the hospital.

The incident occurred as about 100 million Hindu devotees from around the world were expected to visit the site on Wednesday and take a holy dip in the sacred waters in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, according to local media reports.

Wednesday marks Mauni Amavasya, one of the most significant days of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival, when followers come to bathe in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers – the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati – to purify their sins and take another step closer to “spiritual liberation.”

Drone footage shared by Reuters showed huge numbers of people already arriving at the site before the crush.

The festival is considered the world’s largest peaceful gathering of people. Over six weeks, a staggering 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the banks of Prayagraj.

Number of people created ‘huge pressure’

Chief minister Adityanath said late Wednesday morning that the situation was “under control.”

He did not give details on the number of casualties but said some of the devotees caught up in the crush became “seriously injured” while “trying to get through the barricades.”

“They were immediately taken to hospital and treated,” Adityanath said, adding that the incident occurred between 1 and 2 a.m. local time.

The sheer number of people at the site had created “huge pressure,” he said.

Between 80 million and 100 million people were in Prayagraj on Wednesday, with more than 50 million taking a dip in the waters the day before, he added.

In a post on X, Adityanath told devotees on Wednesday to avoid bathing at the sangam, where the rivers meet, and instead take dips at points along the river closest to them. Despite the appeal, huge crowds could be seen moving toward the sangam and bathing as the morning progressed, images shared by Reuters showed.

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