New Delhi railway station stampede: Death toll rises to 18; Train, platform confusion sparked chaos, say authorities

NEW DELHI: The death toll in the overnight stampede at the packed New Delhi railway station rose to 18 on Sunday, with authorities saying confusion over almost identical train names after an announcement of the platform number for an arriving Prayagraj-bound special train sparked panic and a sudden rush.

The dead included 11 women, two men, one male teen and four children, according to a list put out by the Delhi police. Three people were also grievously injured and 27 others received simple injuries, the Railway ministry said in a statement, adding that out of them 11 were given treatment and released from a hospital.

As survivors recalled how people trampled over each other amid cries for help, the Delhi Police said it will analyse the CCTV footage to determine the exact sequence of events before chaos erupted at the station on Saturday night. The station witnessed a surge of passengers waiting to board trains at platform number 14 and 15 for Prayagraj–where the Maha Kumbh is underway.

A preliminary probe revealed that the the stampede occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a foot overbridge.

The Railway ministry ordered a high level inquiry by a two-member committee into the stampede which also triggered a political blame game. The Opposition demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation for alleged mismanagement and accusing the government of trying to cover up the incident.

“The committee comprises Shri Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner, and Shri Nar Singh, Principal Chief Commercial Manager, Northern Railway, both Higher Administrative Grade officers,” the ministry said.

The stampede occurred at 9.55 pm when thousands of passengers, mostly Maha Kumbh pilgrims, crowded the station to board trains to Prayagraj.

“There is an unprecedented rush due to Maha Kumbh. Many special trains have been operating for the past several days. Prayagraj Express was about to arrive at platform number 14 and passengers were waiting to board the train,” Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, said in a statement.

“There was some time left for the Prayagraj Express to come to the platform. Meanwhile, an announcement was made for another train Prayagraj Special to arrive at platform number 12. Before this one, one more special train had already left that platform,” Kumar added.

Passengers of platform number 14, thinking that their train would come at 12, started moving towards the escalator and stairs which led to stampede, Kumar said. 18 passengers lost their lives, he said.

President Droupadi Murmu and political leaders across the spectrum condoled the loss of lives in the stampede.

“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 said on X

Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhyay said that at the time of incident the Patna-bound Magadh Express was positioned at platform number 14 and the New Delhi-Jammu Uttar Sampark Kranti Express was stationed at platform number 15.

The Delhi Police put out a list of the 18 victims. The dead have been identified as Asha Devi (79), Pinky Devi (41), Sheela Devi (50), Vyom (25), Poonam Devi (40), Lalita Devi (35), Suruchi (11), Krishna Devi (40), Vijay Sah (15), Neeraj (12), Shanti Devi (40), Pooja Kumari (8), Sangeeta Malik (34), Poonam (34), Mamta Jha (40), Riya Singh (7), Baby Kumari (24) and Manoj (47).

Five of the 18 victims died due to traumatic asphyxia, the RML Hospital said.

“No injured were brought to RML Hospital. We received five dead bodies from LNJP for postmortem. Four of them were females and one a male,” a senior doctor said.

The Delhi Police found in its initial probe that the stampede happened as passengers got confused between ‘Prayagraj Express’ and ‘Prayagraj Special’, and thought they might miss their train, police sources said.

A narrow stairway with 42 steps leading to a 25-foot-wide foot overbridge at the station turned into a scene of panic and chaos amid unprecedented rush.

Scattered slippers, torn bags, and abandoned belongings lay strewn across the staircase, the bridge, and platforms 14 and 15.

Porters recounted their harrowing experience of carrying bodies on handcarts.

“We carried dead bodies on handcarts, the same ones we use for luggage. In my 15 years as a porter, I have never seen such a massive crowd,” said Balram, a porter.

“A massive crowd gathered on the (foot overbridge)bridge. People were so cramped for space that many suffocated. Around 10-15 people lost their lives right there,” another porter Krishna Kumar Jogi said, adding that the crowd quickly swelled when a train bound for Prayagraj arrived.

Opal Singh, who lost his seven-year-old daughter in the stampede, said, “When she was born, I held her against my chest. Today, I carried her lifeless body away.”

Singh and his family planned a tour of Maha Kumbh. But as they reached the station to take the train for Prayagraj, they saw a huge crowd.

Singh told PTI that as they made their way toward platform number 14, chaos suddenly erupted with a massive surge of people coming back up the staircase, triggering the stampede.

A compensation of Rs 10 lakh each has been announced by the Ministry of Railways for the next of kin of those killed in the stampede. Those seriously injured will get Rs 2.5 lakh and those with minor injuries 1 lakh, it said.

The distraught family members of those missing since the stampede frantically searched for their loved ones, running from one hospital to another, carrying their photos and not knowing what to do.

Many claimed that the hospitals did not allow them to search for their missing family members among the patients admitted there, turning their hopes into despair.

Anirudh, a daily wage labourer from Prayagraj presently living in Noida, also recalled the horror.

“No one was walking; people were just pushing each other to move ahead. I saw women falling to the ground and others trampling over them. People didn’t even realise they were walking over human beings who were alive,” Anirudh, who bought a general ticket to go to Prayagraj, said.

Every hour 1,500 general tickets were sold by the Railways due to which the station also got overcrowded and became uncontrollable. There was a stampede at platform no. 14 and the escalator near platform no. 16, a senior police officer said.

The Railway ministry said several measures have been enforced to avoid any such untoward incident in the future.

LNJP Hospital sources said that all bodies of victims were handed over to their family members by 9 am and the kin left for their respective places.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said if Vaishnaw does not resign, he should be sacked for the “mismanagement” at the railway station.

One station master, who did not want to be identified, said the stampede should be an eye-opener for the railways to make improvements on its public addressing system. (PTI)