STORY: More than 36 hours after a deadly stampede at India's Maha Kumbh Mela festival claimed dozens of lives, distraught relatives frantically searched hospitals and mortuaries for missing loved ones.

A senior police officer said at least 30 people died as a crowd panicked at the Hindu Kumbh Mela mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.

A stampede at the Maha Kumbh on January 29 resulted in 30 deaths and 60 injuries as millions gathered for Mauni Amavasya. The Uttar Pradesh government announced ₹25 lakh assistance for victims’ families and initiated a judicial inquiry into the incident.