Authorities say at least 30 people have died and a further 60 were injured in a crowd crush at the massive Kumbh Mela festival
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered his condolences to the victims, while the state chief minister has ordered an inquiry into the incident
One victim who spoke to the BBC's team on the ground described being pushed into the Ganges River as he went to participate in a ritual bathing
The BBC's Samira Hussain describes scenes of "absolute chaos" at the riverbank, with clothes, shoes, blankets and backpacks strewn on the ground as crowds tried to escape
Officials predicted up to 100 million people were expected to attend the bathing day at the Hindu religious festival
The BBC's Vikas Pandey say "tens of thousands are still trying to take the holy dip" - but proceedings are "very muted"
BBC reports from scene of India's Kumbh Mela crush
A number of news agencies are now reporting that several people are feared dead in the crush that happened at the Kumbh Mela festival in India's Prayagraj this morning.
We are still waiting for official confirmation on numbers of casualties.
Today’s bathing ritual at the Kumbh Mela appears to be temporarily suspended following a massive early morning crowd crush that left many pilgrims injured.
"Due to the heavy rush of devotees, the bathing will commence later than scheduled," an official told the IANS news agency.
The Kumbh Mela is expected to draw up to 100 million people for the Shahi Snan - or the royal bath - on Wednesday, according to authorities, making crowd control a significant challenge.
Earlier, an official had assured the BBC that the bathing ritual would proceed as planned.
Umesh Agrawal, a visitor from Delhi, explains what he saw when he was walking towards the banks of the Ganges river at the Kumbh festival.
Eyewitness describes how the crush started
Vikas Pandey
Reporting from Prayagraj
Police officials are struggling to manage the crowd swell. They are letting people go to the confluence in batches.
Image source, Ankit SrinivasThe festival area looks like a sea of humanity
Image source, Ankit SrinivasPolice officials are trying to manage the crowd
Image source, Ankit SrinivasHuge crowds have been attempting to reach the Sangam in Prayagraj
Reports of many people feared crushed during the Wednesday's festival in Prayagraj are coming in.
The last major Kumbh-related crush happened at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) railway station in 2013 when 30 pilgrims died during the peak of the festival.
We are still waiting for further details and confirmation about casualties.
Image source, Getty ImagesAyesha Mishra, a visitor at Kumbh Mela, recounted what she saw near the banks of river Ganges.
Kumbh Mela: Eyewitness describes scenes of crowd surge
Vikas Pandey
Reporting from Prayagraj
Shahi snan (or the royal bath) - a ritual that sees groups of ash-smeared holy men move in colourful processions to bathe at Sangam - is going ahead, an official said.
This is a scene that thousands of devotees look forward to witnessing and will be a tense moment for authorities as it poses the risk of another crowd surge.
These holy men or sadhus belong to several akharas (sects) and renounce all worldly things, including clothes.
Many devotees seek them out to get their blessings during the festival.
Vikas Pandey
Reporting from Prayagraj
Officials are now making desperate announcements on loudspeakers, asking people to vacate the banks after taking a holy dip in the rivers.
There is a swell of police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officials near the confluence.
They are constantly urging people to keep moving.
Image source, Getty ImagesSecurity officials are urging people to keep moving
Reports of many people feared injured at the Kumbh Mela festival in India's Prayagraj city are coming in. Millions have been heading through to Sangam, the confluence of sacred rivers, in the city.
Held every 12 years, the Kumbh is often called the world’s largest gathering of humanity. And Wednesday is the biggest day of the festival. Officials have said up to 100 million people are expected to attend the bathing day. Hindus believe that bathing in the sacred water will cleanse them of sins and help them attain salvation.
Devotees from around the world, including ascetics, politicians and celebrities, have been participating in the festival which kicked off on 13 January and will go on until 26 February.
Vikas Pandey
Reporting from Prayagraj
People are still jostling to get to the confluence - the spot where three sacred rivers meet - after a crush-like situation happened at India's Kumbh Mela.
I am on a road leading to the confluence and it’s packed. Almost everyone is now aware of the incident and are asking questions about it.
But it hasn’t deterred them from moving ahead to get to the spot.
But some families have decided to wait and not move ahead as well.
Some of the latest images coming to us show emergency services and security personel rushing to the scene amid the ongoing Kumbh festival in Prayagraj.
People can be seen draped in blankets and consoling one another.
Image source, Getty ImagesSecurity personnel arrive at the site of surge
Image source, Getty ImagesOne woman was carried away by police towards an ambulance
Image source, Getty ImagesA large crowd assembles around people's belongings which have been left behind following the surge
We're hearing that many have been injured following a crush at the huge Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj city.
While we wait for more details, the BBC's Vikas Pandey, who is at the scene, describes what unfolded at the world's largest religious gathering.
'Ambulances zipping past': BBC reporter at site of crowd surge in India
While we are waiting for more details on the reports of a crush at the Kumbh Mela, we are getting the first official comment from the scene.
Akanksha Rana, a mela official, told reporters that "a stampede-like situation occurred at Sangam Nose where some barriers broke. Some people were injured in the incident. No-one is serious and they are getting the required treatment”.
The "Sangam Nose" is a term typically used to describe the point where the three sacred rivers - Ganges (Ganga), Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati - converge in Prayagraj city, the site of the mela.
Vikas Pandey
Reporting from Prayagraj
We have spoken to people who have confirmed that a crush-like situation happened close to the confluence of the rivers.
There is no confirmation on the number of casualties or injured - but in about 15 minutes I have counted 20 ambulances coming out of the festival.
Tens of thousands of people are still streaming into the festival and there are a few tense faces in the crowd.
Image source, Getty ImagesMany people are feared to have been injured following a crush at a huge Hindu religious festival in northern India.
The accident is believed to have happened at the Kumbh Mela festival when people who were sleeping by the riverbanks in Prayagraj were trampled by others who had taken a dip in the holy waters.
Emergency officials have been seen taking away what appears to be dead bodies on stretchers.
Stay with us and we will bring you the latest on this developing story.