Several million Hindus have gathered to take a dip in the Ganges river as a deadly second Covid-19 wave continues to sweep India.

The devotees are marking an auspicious bathing day on Wednesday at the Kumbh Mela religious festival in Haridwar city in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Officials say they are struggling to impose safety norms due to huge crowds.

The Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years and the venue is chosen from amongst four cities, including Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain.

Haridwar's turn to host the gathering came amid a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus infections, with India consistently reporting more than 100,000 cases daily in the past few weeks. On Wednesday, India logged more than 168,000 new cases.

Health experts had appealed for the Kumbh Mela festival to be cancelled, but the government went ahead saying safety rules would be followed.