AT least 15 people have been killed in a major crowd stampede at a festival in India.

Dozens more were injured when a stampede erupted as thousands surged towards a river at the Kumbh Mela.

Tens of millions were expected to gather on Wednesday to take a holy dip during the six-week Hindu festival.

But between 1am and 2am, a stampede broke out where barricades had been put up to manage crowds.

Shocking footage and images showed emergency crews taking bodies away on stretchers as attendees sat on the ground in tears.

Others stepped over clothes, shoes, backpacks and blankets left by those trying to escape the crush.

Deadly crowd crushes are a notorious feature at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela which already had a grim track record.

Witnesses spoke of a huge push near the confluence of three holy rivers – where a dip is considered particularly sacred – that caused devotees to fall on each other. 

Vijay Kumar, who came for the festival from the eastern city of Patna, said: “We had barricades in front of us and police with batons on the other side.

“The push from behind was very powerful…people started falling.

“There were people lying all around, I don’t know if they were dead or alive.”

A woman who was part of the crowd but did not give her name told news agency ANI that people “kept stepping” on her mother and her when they fell.

“I am safe but my mother has died,” she said.

Opposition parties blamed the stampede on what they called “mismanagement” and “VIP culture”.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, said: “VIP culture should be curbed and the government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to “devotees who have lost their loved ones”, but did not specify the number of dead.

He said: “The local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way.”

The Hindu festival is the world’s largest congregation of humanity, attracting some 400 million over its six weeks compared with the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia which drew 1.8 million last year.

By Tuesday nearly 200 million people have attended the 2025 festival since it started two weeks ago.

Devout Hindus believe taking a dip at the confluence of three sacred rivers – the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati – absolves people of sins.

They also believe that during the Kumbh it brings salvation from the cycle of life and death.

More than 36 million people had taken a holy dip on Wednesday by 10am, said officials.