New Delhi, Feb 16 At least 18 people were killed and more than 12 injured in a stampede at New Delhi railway station late Saturday night.
The incident took place when a huge crowd of passengers reached platform number 14 and 15 hoping to catch a train to go to the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
The stampede broke out during the stampede as the number of passengers trying to catch a train to go to Maha Kumbh increased drastically, leading to overcrowding and chaos.
Officials said most of the deceased have been identified. Two people are still unidentified. At least three children are also among the dead.
The situation worsened when the sudden rush of passengers and the delay led to a stampede. Emergency response teams, including medical personnel and police, immediately rushed to the spot. The injured passengers were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
DCP (Railway) KPS Malhotra said the main reason for the stampede was the increase in the number of passengers due to the delay of two trains.
“Actually, at one point the train was running late and besides, people had also bought extra tickets for Prayagraj. We had assessed the crowd and I am explaining the time, which was around 10 minutes,” the DCP said.
Officials are investigating the cause of the stampede. Tight security measures have been implemented at the station to prevent such incidents in future.
