LIVE | 18 dead in Delhi stampede; railway station remains overcrowded amid heavy rush

The majority of the patients have lower limb injuries, and a few have bone injuries. Four people are under observation and the rest have been discharged after primary treatment. Most of the patients are stable. A team of 15 doctors are taking care of the injured patients: LNJP Hospital Sources

A two-member committee consisting of the PCCM, Northern Railway, Narsingh Deo and PCSC, Northern Railway, Pankaj Gangwar has been formed to investigate the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. The committee gave an order to secure all the video footage of NDLS Railway Station: Ministry of Railways

People’s belongings scattered everywhere, a crowd unlike anything seen before with scores pushing and scrambling for space amid cries for help — eyewitnesses have recalled the horror as the death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbed to 18 on Sunday.

According to official sources, a wrong announcement about change of platforms may have created a confusion that led to the stampede, something that some eyewitnesses also recalled.

As soon as the announcement was made, people surged forward by pushing each other. Those who fell were trampled in the rush, Ravi Kumar, a vendor running a shop at the railway station for the past 12 years, told PTI.

The crowd was unlike anything seen before, he said.

Recalling the distressing scenes, Kumar said, “The rush on platforms 12, 14, and 15 was overwhelming. All the trains bound for Prayagraj were packed beyond capacity.”

“The Prayagraj Express was already standing on one platform when an announcement was made for the arrival of another train. As soon as the announcement was made, people surged forward, pushing each other. The footbridge connecting the platforms is small, and in the rush, people fell and were trampled.”

Ved Prakash, a resident of Paharganj, planned to travel to Prayagraj with his wife but decided to return home after witnessing the huge swell in crowd. “Even inside the train, there was no space to stand. I stepped out and chose to go back,” he said.

The family member of one of the deceased on Sunday reached the LNJP Hospital to collect the body of Poonam Devi, who was heading home to Bihar on Saturday night.

“There was an overwhelming crowd at the station, and her train was supposed to arrive at platform number 12. However, after an announcement was made, people started rushing, and those who fell were crushed,” the relative said.

Among the victims was a woman travelling with her family to Chhapra in Bihar. Her son, struggling to hold back his tears, recounted the devastating loss.

“We were travelling home in a large group and my mother lost her life in the chaos. People were pushing each other, and she got caught in the rush,” he said.

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.”

With the death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbing to 18 on Sunday, porters recounted their harrowing experience of carrying bodies on handcarts amid the chaos.

Describing the situation, Krishna Kumar Jogi, a porter at the station, said the crowd swelled when a train bound for Prayagraj arrived.

“A massive crowd gathered on the (foot over) bridge. People were packed so tightly that many suffocated. Around 10-15 people lost their lives right there,” he claimed.

“I witnessed the entire incident. We carried dead bodies from platform numbers 14 and 15 to the ambulance,” he added.

Children and women were among those crushed in the crowd, struggling to breathe amid the suffocation, he said.

Recalling the distressing scene, Balram, a porter, said, “We carried dead bodies on handcarts, the same ones we use for luggage. In my 15 years as a porter, I have never seen such a massive crowd.”

Another porter described how there was a swell in crowd around 9.30 pm on Saturday when the Prayagraj-bound train was at the platform.

“People’s shoes, slippers, and other belongings were scattered everywhere. We pulled out many children and elderly individuals from the chaos,” he said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday expressed grief over the deaths in a stampede at New Delhi railway station, and announced ex gratia for the kin of the deceased hailing from the eastern state.

At least 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the stampede that broke out late Saturday night at the crowded railway station.

Details were awaited on the exact number of people from Bihar who died in the stampede and the ones injured, officials said here.

"The CM has expressed condolences over the casualties in the stampede at the New Delhi railway station. He is deeply saddened by the deaths of Bihar natives in the incident, and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the immediate family members of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for those who are injured," a statement issued by the CMO said.

Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, in a post on X, said, "The incident at New Delhi railway station is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed souls and for the speedy recovery of the injured.”