NEW DELHI: A tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) on Saturday night claimed 18 lives and left numerous others injured. The incident occurred around 10 PM when a surge of passengers, confused by a mix-up in train announcements, rushed towards platform 16 via a narrow stairway. Trapped between those trying to move up and others trying to descend, the crowd turned into a human bottleneck, leading to panic and a horrifying crush, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of 11 women and 5 children.

According to Northern Railway CPRO Himanshu Upadhyay, at the time of the incident, the Patna-bound Magadh Express was standing at platform number 14, and the New Delhi-Jammu Uttar Sampark Kranti Express was stationed at platform number 15.

“Some people who were coming down from the foot overbridge towards platform numbers 14 and 15 using stairs slipped and fell on others,” Upadhyay said, citing the preliminary cause of the stampede.

The last date of the Maha Kumbh is February 26, and lakhs of devotees who were still trying to reach the holy city to take a dip in the ‘Sangam,’ or the confluence of rivers at Prayagraj, flocked to the railway station to catch a train, leading to the sudden surge in people.

In response to the tragedy, authorities have implemented tight security measures at the station. These include prohibiting unnecessary loitering on the foot overbridge, deploying additional security personnel, enhancing CCTV surveillance, and setting up emergency response teams.

The sale of platform tickets has been temporarily restricted between 4 PM and 11 PM to manage crowd control. The Railway Ministry has announced a comprehensive overhaul of crowd-control measures across the country.