More than seven killed in stampede at India's Maha Kumbh Mela festival (update)

An injured man is assisted after a stampede before the second "Shahi Snan" (royal bath) at the 'Maha Kumbh Mela' on Jan 29, 2025. - Reuters

PRAYAGRAJ: More than seven people were killed and around 10 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival in north India's Uttar Pradesh state on Wednesday (Jan 29), said an official, as tens of millions gathered to take a holy dip.

Drone footage showed millions of devotees, shoulder to shoulder, arriving in the pre-dawn dark for the holy dip to mark the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh Mela.