Multiple videos have emerged showing crowds pouring over each other at the New Delhi Railway Station before a stampede killed at least 18 people and injured dozens on Saturday night. The rush at the station broke out as crowds struggled to board trains for Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh, which has so far attracted more than 50 crore devotees.
The videos show passengers pushing each other on the platforms to board the trains. Some men were also seen entering the trains through windows.
The stampede at the NDLS, which broke out around 10 pm, was preceded by a swell in the crowd of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj on platform numbers 14 and 15.
“People were pushing each other,” a man whose mother died in the stampede told reporters.
Another passenger said the station was “overcrowded”.
“I was going to Prayagraj but many trains were running late or were cancelled. The station was overcrowded. There were far more people than I have ever seen at this station,” he said.
What Led To New Delhi Railway Station Stampede
An official said platform number 14 was very crowded when the Prayagraj Express train was waiting there for its departure. He said two other trains – Swatantra Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express – were delayed and the passengers of these trains were also present on platform numbers 12, 13 and 14.
“As per CMI (Commercial-cum-Ticket Inspector), 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,” he said.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have grieved the deaths.
“Deeply anguished to know about the loss of lives in a stampede at New Delhi Railway station. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for a speedy recovery of those injured,” President Murmu said in a post on X.
PM Modi said he was “distressed” by the stampede at the 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 said.