At least 30 dead in crowd crush at world’s largest religious festival in India - Indian authorities have released an official statement on the death toll but it is expected to rise

A senior police officer said at least 30 people died as a crowd panicked at the Hindu Kumbh Mela mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is the second top official after Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer condolences to the families of those who have lost loved ones in the crush. In a post on X, he called the accident in Prayagraj "extremely painful" and expressed condolences to victims' relatives.