At least 17 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at India's Maha Kumbh festival, the world's largest religious gathering, a doctor at a government hospital said, as tens of thousands of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred river waters during the Hindu event.

Dozens of people were killed in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India yesterday as tens of millions of Hindus gathered to take a dip in sacred river waters on the most auspicious day of a six-week festival.

The driver was believed to have a pistol in their vehicle when law enforcement first made contact, police said.

Authorities had expected a record 100 million people to visit Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, or "festival of the Sacred Pitcher", on Wednesday.

Between 90 to 100 million pilgrims had congregated to take ritual baths in sacred rivers at a festival in northern India.

The Hindu festival that turned deadly in northern India on Wednesday is a religious gathering with deep spiritual meaning for devotees who come by the millions to take a cleansing dip in waters they consider sacred.

Officials have just announced that 30 people were killed and 60 were injured during the crush at Kumbh Mela festival. Of those people, 25 have been identified, officials say. People that were involved in the incident include those who travelled from the states of Gujarat and Assam to attend the festival, the officials add.

From lazy strolls through ancient alleys to sacred rituals along the Ganges, Varanasi in winter promises memories of a lifetime.

Grieving families in India are cremating their loved ones while others are caring for their injured relatives in hospitals a day after a stampede.

Many were feared dead after millions of Hindu pilgrims at a huge Hindu festival in India rushed to bathe in holy river waters.

Dozens of 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.