While the Uttar Pradesh government was tight-lipped on the number of casualties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his deepest condolences to the devotees who lost their family members in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh, describing the tragedy as extremely saddening

In a post on X, he said the local administration in Prayagraj is giving all possible help to the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said some devotees were "seriously injured"

The incident took place between 1 am and 2 am when some devotees climbed over the barricades at Akhara marg, he said

"Between 1 am to 2 am, at the akhara route where arrangements were made for the Amrit Snan of the akharas, some devotees crossed over the barricades and were critically injured. They were immediately rushed to hospital where treatment was promptly ensured," he said after a high-level meeting in Lucknow

Around 2 am, the blaring sirens of ambulances and police vehicles rushing to the Sangam pierced through the continuous chants of mantras and shlokas echoing from loudspeakers across the Kumbh Mela area

Those injured were taken to the central hospital established in the Mela area. Relatives of many injured also reached there, as did some senior administrative and police officials

Security personnel and rescue workers were seen carrying many of the injured on stretchers. People's belongings, including blankets and bags, lay strewn around

On the Amrit snan by akharas, Adityanath said a consensus has been reached with the akharas that they would take the holy dip only after the crowd pressure has decreased at the ghats

On Tuesday, in view of the anticipated influx of pilgrims, the Mela authorities issued an advisory urging devotees to follow crowd-management guidelines for safety and convenience