At least 10 people were killed after a car carrying Hindu pilgrims to the Maha Kumbh festival collided with a bus in the north India state of Uttar Pradesh.
Nineteen people were also injured in the accident, which took place on the highway from Mirzapur to Prayagraj at around 2am on Saturday.
The victims were on their way to Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the holiest Hindu festivals that is held once every 12 years in Prayagraj city, at the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
Police said the car driver likely dozed off, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the bus.
The car was carrying pilgrims from central Chattisgarh state’s Korba city to take a “holy bath” at the Kumbh while the bus was ferrying devotees from Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh.
The bodies were sent to nearby Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital for post-mortem examinations, additional superintendent of police Vivek Chandra Yadav said.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said he had instructed local officials to reach the site of the crash and provide relief to the pilgrims.
He also asked authorities to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.
Indian president Droupadi Murmu expressed condolences to the families of the victims. "The news of the death of many people in a road accident on Mirzapur highway in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely sad," she said on X.
The accident was just the latest involving pilgrims to Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world that attracts millions of people over the course of several weeks.
Last month, at least 30 people were killed and dozens injured in a crowd crush at the festival.
Nearly 500 million people were expected to take a “holy dip” at Sangam, the confluence of holy rivers in Prayagraj, during the festival, according to Uttar Pradesh’s state government.
