At least 40 killed in Hindu festival stampede

At least 40 people have been killed in a stampede at the Kumbha Mela religious festival in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Reuters reported.

The world's largest festival was expected to draw 400 million people. The stampede left 60 people injured.

Hindu pilgrims were waiting in line to enter the Ganges River. Suddenly, chaos and traffic jams erupted. The crowd headed towards the riverbank, and people began to fall. The injured were reportedly taken to hospitals. It took authorities 16 hours to give an initial death toll. A few hours later, state officials announced that the situation was under control.