By Saurabh Sharma and Shivam Patel PRAYAGRAJ, India (Reuters) -Millions of devout Hindus thronged the northern Indian city of Prayagraj on Thursday for the Maha Kumbh festival, a day after dozens died in a stampede on the most auspicious day of the six-week event.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers attended the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this week. He called it an experience beyond words.

A stampede broke out at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj during the auspicious Mauni Amavasya on January 29, leading to at least 30 deaths as thousands gathered for the holy dip.

Israeli troops will remain in the Palestinians' Jenin refugee camp once the large-scale raid they launched last week is complete, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday as a crackdown in the occupied West Bank extended into a second week.

Over 5.51 million devotees gathered at Sangam for a sacred holy dip. Get the latest updates, photos from the world's largest religious gathering.

At least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh early Wednesday on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

Authorities confirmed 30 deaths and 60 injuries in a stampede during the Maha Kumbh festival. The incident occurred early Wednesday morning, with 25 victims identified and efforts ongoing to identify the remaining five.

Nearly 40 people were killed in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and several others injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela - a Hindu religious festival touted to be the largest human gathering in the world.

Many were feared dead after millions of Hindu pilgrims at a huge Hindu festival in India rushed to bathe in holy river waters.