18 dead, several injured in stampede due to Maha Kumbh rush at New Delhi railway station: 10 points
A stampede at New Delhi Railway station during the Maha Kumbh mela resulted in 18 deaths. The incident occurred due to overcrowding caused by delayed trains.
At least 18 people died and 15 others were injured in a stampede at New Delhi Railway station on Saturday night as massive crowds gathered to board trains for the ongoing Maha Kumbh mela in Prayagraj. The incident occurred on platforms 14 and 15, where passengers scrambled to catch trains for one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
Here are 10 updates on the New Delhi railway station stampede
- The stampede occurred as thousands of passengers gathered to board trains heading to Uttar Pradesh' Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival.
2. Officials said that at least 18 people, including three children, were killed in the stampede at the New Delhi railway station.
3. Delhi's acting chief minister Atishi confirmed the deaths and expressed grief over the tragedy, offering condolences to the victims' families.
4. The stampede occurred around 9.55 pm, during a surge in crowd numbers, as platforms became overcrowded due to a large number of delayed and canceled trains.
5. Railways officials said a crowd kept building up at platform number 14, from where the Prayagraj Express was set to depart. Two other Prayagraj-bound trains, the Swatantrata Senani Express and the Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani, which were set to leave from the station were delayed, which worsened the crowding.
6. "As per CMI, every hour 1,500 general tickets were sold by railways due to which the station got overcrowded and became uncontrollable. There was a stampede at platform no. 14 and near escalator near platform no. 16," the deputy commissioner of police (railways) said.
7. Eyewitnesses reported severe pushing and jostling, with passengers struggling to breathe in the overcrowded conditions.
8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and conveyed their thoughts to the affected families.
9. "Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery. The authorities are assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede," he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
10. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered an inquiry and dispatched four special trains to alleviate the crowding at the station.
