Once again, a stampede broke out at the train station in the capital of India, New Delhi. At least 18 people were crushed to death during the stampede that occurred as passengers mixed up two separate services called “Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special” and arrived at the station at the same time. Police officials mentioned that on the day of the stampede, there were four trains heading to the same route, with three of them running late which caused the stampede to happen. There was an unusually high density of people at the New Delhi Train Station due to the Kumb Mela religious festival held in the northern city of Prayagraj. Passengers thought they might miss their trains by confusing the two different services mentioned as “Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special” and ended up arriving at the station at the same time.
An announcement that Prayagraj Special would arrive at platform 16 caused confusion among waiting passengers since Prayagraj Express was already at platform 14. Sources stated that those who reached platform 14 thought their train had arrived at platform 16 and started running towards it, leading to the stampede. It was reported that three of the 18 people who lost their lives in the stampede were children. Police officials mentioned that there were four trains heading to Prayagraj, with three of them running late and causing an unexpected overcrowding. Local authorities stated that a large number of emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene and the injured were sent to nearby hospitals for treatment.
According to hospital sources, most of the deceased after the stampede at the New Delhi Train Station had injuries in their chest and abdominal areas. Delhi Police has initiated an investigation into the stampede at the train station.