A tragedy has unfolded at New Delhi’s railway station in India after a devastating stampede claimed the lives of at least 15 religious pilgrims.
The calamity unfolded on Saturday evening at around 8pm as throngs of worshippers attempted to board trains destined for Praygraj to attend the Kumbh Mela. This is the world’s largest religious festival, with tens of millions of Hindu devotees coming together in one place, but this sacred gathering has a history of deadly crowd-related incidents.
In the mayhem, believers were compressed to the point of danger while queuing for trains laid on especially for the festival. The Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi reportedly received the deceased and wounded, with Medical official Dr Ritu Saxena confirming to AFP: “I can confirm 15 deaths at the hospital.”
Most of the victims had died due to blunt force or asphyxiation in the crush in Northern India. The hospital’s Deputy Medical Superintendent added: “They don’t have any open injury. Most [likely died from] hypoxia or maybe some blunt injury but that would only be confirmed after an autopsy.”
New Delhi’s deputy police commissioner for railways explained the circumstances leading to the stampede in an official statement, describing a large number of pilgrims gathering on platform 14 to get on the Prayagraj Express train. But, following delays to other services at the station, a growing number of other passengers had started to congregate on platforms 12, 13, and 14.
An investigation is now underway following the tragic stampede at the Kumbh Mela festival, described as an “unfortunate incident” by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. This marks the second crowd-related tragedy in just two weeks at the six-week religious event.
Last week, a calamitous crush claimed at least 30 lives as Hindu worshippers were pinned against barricades while millions sought to bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Sarasvati rivers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concern, stating he is “distressed by the stampede”. He said: “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.”
At least 11 other pilgrims were injured in the crush, with Dr Sazena describing: “Most of them are stable and have orthopaedic injuries.”
The number of people killed in the crush could yet rise, with local media NDTV reporting that 18 passengers are now believed to have died in the New Delhi railways station stampede. The last time the festival was hosted in Praygraz, 2013, 36 people died during a stampede.
The largest death toll was in 1954, when over 400 people were crushed or drowned during the Kumbh Mela.