A stampede killed at least people as millions of Hindus rushed to take their holy bath in the waters of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.

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.

At least 30 people were killed on Wednesday (Jan 29) when a stampede broke out at the world's largest religious festival in India, according to the police.

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

Millions of Hindus are gathering in a northern Indian city for the Maha Kumbh festival, the world’s largest religious congregation.

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.

According to the Indian government, some 400 million people were expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, the most important religious event in Hinduism, held this year in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.

The Kumbh Mela happens every 12 years at Sangam, the confluence of three sacred rivers - the Ganges (Ganga), Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Hindus believe that bathing in the sacred waters will cleanse them of sins and help them attain salvation.

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