New Delhi, Feb 16 :
At least 18 people have been killed and more than a dozen have been injured in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station late on Saturday night, officials said. Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital authorities have confirmed the death of 18 including women and children.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident.
The stampede was preceded by a swell in the crowds of passengers waiting to board trains to Prayagraj — where the Maha Kumbh is underway — on platform numbers 14 and 15 of the station.
Confusion over the identical names of Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special triggered the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, say Delhi police, according to an ANI report. The officials said that the announcement that the Prayagraj Special would arrive at Platform 16 created panic among the passengers who were waiting for the Prayagraj Express at Platform 14.
Then the passengers who couldn’t board their train at platform 14 rushed to platform 16 thinking that their train was arriving there. This led to overcrowding resulting the stampede, the police said.
Acting Chief Minister Atishi told reporters that 15 people had been brought dead at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital of central Delhi. All but two of the casualties were identified. Three of them were children.
Almost 15 people are injured and they are undergoing treatment, Atishi said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X grieved the deaths.
“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 said.
Eyewitnesses said a huge rush at the station led to the stampede with several passengers fainting because of suffocation.
In an official statement, the deputy commissioner of police (railway) said platform number 14 was already very crowded when the Prayagraj Express train was waiting there for its departure.
The officer said 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, 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 DCP said.
The stampede broke out around 9.55 pm, prompting an emergency response from authorities.
One of the victims told reporters that his mother had died in the stampede.
He said, “We were travelling to our home in Chhapra, Bihar, in a group, but my mother lost her life in the chaos. People were pushing each other.”
He added, “The doctor has confirmed to us that my mother has died.”
Another family member of the deceased, a woman, collapsed in grief.
Authorities dispatched rescue teams and four fire tenders were rushed to the site, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg said.
Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhyay earlier told PTI that passengers pushed each other, which caused injuries to some of them. They were taken to hospitals for first aid, he said.
Defence Minister Rajnath in a post on X said he was pained by the deaths.
“Devastating news from New Delhi Railway Station. I am extremely pained by the loss of lives due to stampede on Railway platform. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy of the injured,” he wrote.
Delhi LG VK Saxena grieved the deaths in a post on X, but later edited it, removing the bits where he mentioned the deaths.
In his original post, Saxena said there was an “unfortunate and tragic” incident of “loss of lives and injuries” due to “disorder and stampede” at the New Delhi Railway Station. “My deepest condolences to the families of victims of this tragedy.”
However, after about 15 minutes Saxena edited his post to delete the reference to deaths. No explanation was given. Singh’s post remains as it is.
One of the passengers, Dharmendra Singh, said, “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. In front of me, six or seven women were taken away on stretchers.”
Another passenger, Pramod Chaurasia, said, “I had a sleeper-class ticket for Purushottam Express but even those with confirmed tickets could not board the train. One of my friends and a female passenger got stuck in the crowd. There was too much pushing and jostling. We managed to stay safe by waiting outside with our children.”
Before the deaths were confirmed, Railway Board’s Information and Publicity, executive Dilip Kumar, told PTI that a “stampede-like” situation occurred due to a large footfall and several people collapsed.
“So far, four special trains have been released for passenger convenience, and more are being considered. Arrangements are being made for additional special trains,” he said.
Situation Under Control: Vaishnaw
The situation at the New Delhi Railway Station, where a heavy rush of passengers led to a stampede-like scenario late Saturday evening, is under control and the injured passengers have been taken to hospitals, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. He also added a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
In a post on X, Vaishnaw said: “Situation under control at New Delhi railway station (NDLS). Delhi Police and RPF reached. Injured taken to hospital. Special trains being run to evacuate sudden rush.”
