Confusion, chaos, deaths, denial and slow acknowledgment. That’s how events played out through Wednesday morning as the news broke of a stampede at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

The stampede happened at the Sangam area of the Mahakumbh as crores of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

The Uttar Pradesh government was tight-lipped on the number of casualties even as Reuters reported at least seven deaths, quoting witnesses. At present, nearly 12 hours after the stampede, the death toll estimates vary between 10 and 15.

The incident took place between 1am and 2 am when some devotees climbed over the barricades at Akhara marg, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said.

In initial agency reports, he did not mention deaths.

"Between 1am and 2am, at the akhara route where arrangements were made for the Amrit Snan of the akharas, some devotees crossed over the barricades and were critically injured. They were immediately rushed to hospital where treatment was promptly ensured,” the UP chief minister was quoted by PTI as saying after a high-level meeting in Lucknow.

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, meanwhile, put out a post on X, condoling the death of 15 people.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh, which has claimed at least 15 innocent lives. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved pilgrim families. My learning from our Gangasagar Mela is that planning and care must be maximal in matters relating to pilgrims' lives in vast assemblies of people. Prayers for the departed souls,” Mamata wrote.

The first official confirmation came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who offered his deepest condolences to the devotees who lost their family members in the stampede, describing the tragedy as extremely saddening.

In a post on X, he said the local administration in Prayagraj is giving all possible help to the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Later at a poll rally in Delhi, Modi said: "We lost some good souls in the tragic incident at Kumbh and some people have also got hurt. I convey my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and pray for the early recovery of those injured.

"I am in constant touch with the Uttar Pradesh government,” he said, as reported by PTI. “Due to Mauni Amavasya, crores of devotees have reached there. For some time, the process of bathing had been halted, but now for several hours, the yatris are taking a bath. I once again convey my condolences to the families.”

Around 2am, the blaring sirens of ambulances and police vehicles rushing to the Sangam pierced through the continuous chants of mantras and shlokas echoing from loudspeakers across the Kumbh Mela area.

Those injured were taken to the central hospital established in the mela area. Relatives of many injured also reached there, as did some senior administrative and police officials.

Security personnel and rescue workers were seen carrying many of the injured on stretchers. People's belongings, including blankets and bags, lay strewn around.

On the Amrit Snan by akharas, Adityanath said a consensus has been reached with the akharas that they would take the holy dip only after the crowd pressure has decreased at the ghats.

“I have personally spoken to Akahara Parishad heads and other seers, including Maha Mandaleshwars and the respected saints have politely agreed to let devotees take the dip and only after the crowd pressure decreases they will take the dip,” the CM said.

“Our first priority is to ensure safety of devotees," he said, adding "the situation in Prayagraj is under control but the crowd pressure is still there".

The chief minister said around 9-10 crore people are in Prayagraj and appealed to devotees to take a dip in the Ganga at their nearest ghats and not try to reach the Sangam Nose to avoid overcrowding.

Akanksha Rana, officer on special duty for the Mahakumbh, earlier said: "Some people have got injured and have been hospitalised after a barrier broke at the Sangam. We are yet to have the exact count of those injured.”

Sarojini, a devotee from Karnataka, told PTI Videos:, "We came in a batch of 60 people in two buses, we were nine people in the group. Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled. There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides.”

A man from Chhattarpur in Madhya Pradesh said his mother was injured and hospitalised, while a middle-aged couple from Meghalaya walked away from the crowd, both of them sobbing and narrating to reporters their harrowing experience of getting caught up in the ruckus.

Another woman at the hospital, whose child suffered injuries in the chaos, narrated her ordeal: "There was nowhere to go. Some people who pushed us were laughing while we begged them for kindness towards the children."

Mahant Ravindra Puri, head of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, said the traditional bathing ritual of all the akharas had been deferred due to "overcrowding" at the Sangam ghat amid the Maha Kumbh..

Puri, who is the head of the apex body of 13 akharas, did not refer to the stampede and said there was "overcrowding" at the Sangam.

"We are seeing that the crowd is decreasing now, and we are in talks with the Mela administration. If the crowd is decreasing, then we would like to take the snan," Puri told PTI Videos.

As per tradition of the Kumbh Mela, Akharas belonging to the three sects 'Sanyasi, Bairagi, and Udaseen' take the holy dip in a set sequence following a majestic, awe-inspiring procession to the Sangam Ghat.

The Triveni Sangam -- confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati -- is considered the holiest by Hindus, with a belief that taking a dip in it during Mahakumbh and particularly on special bathing dates like Mauni Amavasya washes away people's sins and provides them moksha, or salvation.

On Tuesday, in view of the anticipated influx of pilgrims, the Mela authorities issued an advisory urging devotees to follow crowd-management guidelines for safety and convenience.

Pilgrims were asked to use designated lanes to reach Sangam Ghat, stay in their lanes while approaching the bathing area, and avoid lingering at ghats after the holy dip. They were urged to proceed promptly to parking areas or their destinations to ensure smooth movement.

Visitors were reminded to remain patient at barricades and pontoon bridges, avoiding rushing or jostling to prevent accidents. The administration emphasised that "all ghats at Sangam are equally sacred", encouraging devotees to "bathe at the first ghat they reach to prevent overcrowding".

Being held after 12 years, the Maha Kumbh kicked off on January 13 and will continue till February 26.