NEW DELHI — 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 appeared to acknowledge the deaths in a post on X, in which he called the incident “extremely sad.”

“My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones in this. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi said, adding that 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.

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.

Crowd crushes at religious gatherings in India are not uncommon, and deadly incidents have occurred in the past, often highlighting a lack of adequate crowd control and safety measures. In 2013, dozens of people were killed and injured in a crowd crush at a railway station in Allahabad as pilgrims gathered for that year’s Kumbh Mela.

Ahead of the festival in Prayagraj, officials said extra safety measures had been put in place to protect visitors, including a security ring with checkpoints around the city staffed by more than 1,000 police officers.

The central government said over 2,700 security cameras powered by artificial intelligence would also be positioned around the city, monitored by hundreds of experts at key locations.

Aerial drones were touted to provide surveillance from above and, for the first time, underwater drones capable of diving up to 100 meters were being activated to provide round-the-clock cover, the government added.

The Kumbh draws upon Hindu mythology and the legend of demons and gods fighting over a pitcher containing the elixir of immortality. During the fight, four drops from the pitcher fell on Earth, in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain, which host the festival in rotation.

The gathering is particularly well known for attracting large crowds of Hindu holy men, known as sadhus, who travel from across the country.

Every 12 years the festival carries the prefix “Maha,” which means great, as it’s the largest gathering of the Kumbh Mela that’s held every three years in one of four cities. This year, the festival carries greater significance due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies that happens every 144 years.

As of January 27, more than 197 million people had taken a dip into the holy waters, according to the Uttar Pradesh government. — CNN