What led to stampede at New Delhi railway station
What's the story
In a tragic incident, a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night killed 18 people, including women and children.
The stampede took place as a wave of passengers gathered to board trains for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj.
The railway ministry has ordered a high-level probe to look into the cause of this tragedy.
Chaos unfolds
Train delays and overcrowding trigger stampede
Reportedly, the stampede was caused by a combination of factors such as train delays and overcrowding.
Two Prayagraj-bound trains—the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani—were delayed, resulting in congestion on platforms 12, 13, and 14.
The situation worsened when a special train was announced while the Prayagraj Express was stationed at platform 14 with a large crowd already present.
Mismanaged crowds
Crowd management efforts backfire, escalate panic
In a bid to control the crowd, railway staff blocked one staircase each on platforms 14 and 15. However, with trains being delayed, passengers thronged these staircases resulting in pushing and panic.
An official, speaking anonymously, said "This pushing led to many people falling and stampede."
Northern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said chaos started when a passenger slipped on stairs near platform 14, triggering a chain reaction that led to the stampede.
Tragic aftermath
Victims and eyewitness accounts of the stampede
The victims of the stampede were aged between 7 and 79, with over a dozen others injured in the incident.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as uncontrollable despite repeated announcements asking people not to gather in large numbers.
An Indian Air Force sergeant recalled how administration personnel and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) members struggled to control the massive crowd.
Ongoing probe
Investigation and rescue operations post-stampede
DCP (Railways) KPS Malhotra emphasized that nearly 1,500 general tickets were sold every hour, resulting in overcrowding at the station.
He confirmed two separate stampedes: one at platform number 14 and another near an escalator near platform number 16.
The railway ministry has constituted a two-member high-level committee to probe the matter further.
NDRF Commandant Daulat Ram Chaudhary confirmed rescue operations were complete and injured evacuated.