LIVE | 18 dead in Delhi stampede; railway station remains overcrowded amid heavy rush
Swell in crowd of passengers waiting to board trains to Prayagraj ends in stampede; Railways wakes up after tragedy and arranges additional special trains
At least 18 people, mostly women and children, were killed and more than a dozen injured after a stampede broke out at the New Delhi Railway Station late on Saturday (February 15) night.
The stampede was preceded by a swell in the crowd of passengers waiting to board trains to Prayagraj — where the Maha Kumbh is underway — on platform numbers 14 and 15.
Acting Chief Minister Atishi told reporters that 15 people had been brought dead at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital in central Delhi. Almost 15 people were injured and they were undergoing treatment, she said.
The death toll later rose to 18. Five of them are children. The Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased.
Also read: Kumbh stampede: A deadly cocktail of ‘VIP culture’ and mismanagement
What caused stampede?
The incident comes days after a stampede claimed at least 40 lives at the Kumbh fair grounds itself.
The New Delhi station stampede broke out around 9.55 pm on Saturday. 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 departure.
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, the officer explained.
“According to CMI, every hour, 1,500 general tickets were sold by the 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.
A woman, who fell unconscious on a train, being rescued at the New Delhi railway station, late on Saturday | PTI
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- 16 Feb 2025 8:16 AM IST
Rescue teams rushed
The authorities dispatched rescue teams and four fire tenders were rushed to the site, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg said.
Later, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also said the situation was under control and the injured passengers had been taken to hospitals.
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.
- 16 Feb 2025 8:16 AM IST
Delhi stampede: Pushing and shoving
A passenger, 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.”
- 16 Feb 2025 8:15 AM IST
Eye witness accounts
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.
Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhyay told PTI that passengers pushed each other, which caused injuries to some of them. They were taken to hospitals for first aid, he said.
