AT LEAST 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India yesterday, as tens of thousands of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred river waters during the Hindu event.

Local police officer Vaibhav Krishna said 60 injured people had been rushed to hospitals.

The death toll was given by a doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, at a government hospital in Prayagraj city, where over 30 of the injured — five in a serious condition — were brought for treatment.

The stampede happened when pilgrims rushing to a sacred river confluence tried to jump barricades erected for a procession of holy men, Uttar Pradesh state’s top elected official, Yogi Adityanath, said in a televised statement.

Indian authorities took more than 16 hours to release casualty figures, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the loss of lives, calling the incident “extremely sad” and extending his condolences.

Yesterday was a sacred day during the six-week festival and authorities in Prayagraj city were expecting a record 100 million devotees to engage in a ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.