New Delhi railway station stampede kills at least 18 in India

At least 18 people, including 14 women, tragically lost their lives in a stampede at a railway station in New Delhi, India. The incident occurred late Saturday at the New Delhi railway station, where thousands of people were gathered to board a train. Many of the victims were Hindu pilgrims en route to the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, northern India.

According to Delhi’s caretaker chief minister, Atishi, the stampede was a result of passengers slipping and falling on others while coming down from a footbridge that connects train platforms. One relative of a deceased victim, Sheela Devi, mentioned that an announcement about a change in train platforms caused confusion among passengers, leading to the tragic stampede.

Witnesses like Nikhil Kumar, a shopkeeper, described the chaos as the crowd spiraled out of control. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his distress over the incident, offering condolences to those who lost loved ones and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. He assured that authorities are providing assistance to all those affected by the stampede.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered an investigation to determine the factors that contributed to the stampede. This unfortunate event comes on the heels of another tragedy at the Maha Kumbh festival last month, where 30 people lost their lives in a separate stampede during the six-week-long event, where millions of Hindus gathered to take a dip in sacred river waters.

As investigations continue into the New Delhi railway station stampede, our thoughts are with the families of the victims and all those affected by this heartbreaking incident. It serves as a reminder of the importance of crowd management and safety measures at public events to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.