Hindu devotees have sacred marks reading 'Radhe' on their foreheads at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati rivers during the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Credit: AP/Ashwini Bhatia

The Hindu festival that turned deadly in northern India on Wednesday is a religious gathering with deep spiritual meaning for devotees who come by the millions to take a cleansing dip in waters they consider sacred.

Officials had been preparing for months for the world’s largest religious festival, with around 400 million Hindu pilgrims expected to take part

Witnesses described a mass of people rushing to take a pre-dawn dip at the confluence of the three sacred rivers.

People were trampled as pilgrims rushed to bathe in holy waters at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a huge Hindu festival. Many pilgrims rushed to safety while first responders searched the site. People looked for their loved ones and their belongings.

Videos from the scene showed victims being rushed to ambulances or lying motionless on the ground after a large crowd broke through police barricades.