Moments before a deadly stampede at the world's biggest religious gathering in India, Hindu devotees queuing to take a spiritual bath in a river said they pleaded with police to open barricaded routes to thin out a surging crowd.

The Uttar Pradesh government has imposed restrictions in the Maha Kumbh Mela area following a deadly stampede that resulted in 30 deaths. Measures include declaring the area a no-vehicle zone, implementing one-way routes,

Multiple casualties were feared after a stampede-like incident broke out at a Hindu religious festival, the Maha Kumbh Mela, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, India's The Hindu newspaper reported early hours,