Many were feared dead after millions of Hindu pilgrims at a huge Hindu festival in India rushed to bathe in holy river waters.

Moments before a deadly stampede at the world's biggest religious gathering in India, Hindu devotees queuing to take a spiritual bath in a river said they pleaded with police to open barricaded routes to thin out a surging crowd.

Uttar Pradesh tightens crowd control at Maha Kumbh after stampede kills 30, banning vehicles and revoking VIP passes to ensure safety for millions.

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.

In a tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Kumar Nishad offered condolences and stressed collaboration between the state government and opposition to prevent future incidents.

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.

A stampede broke out at the ongoing mega Hindu religious gathering of Mahakumbh in India’s Prayagraj during the early hours of Wednesday, reportedly killing dozens, as tens of millions of devotees descended on the holy city to bathe on Mauni Amavasya- the most sacred bathing day of the festival.

Families from West Bengal allege that bodies of their relatives, who died in a Maha Kumbh Mela stampede, were returned without official death certificates. The victims, Basanti Poddar and Urmila Bhuniya,