Eighteen dead in stampede at New Delhi train station
The stampede was triggered by a sudden platform change announcement, forcing thousands of passengers to shift from platform 12 to platform 16, according to multiple eyewitnesses.
Rajkumar Manjhi, 37, who had come to New Delhi with his family to board a train, was among those caught in the chaos.
'I lost my wife and daughter,' he told The Telegraph, his voice shaking.
'There was a huge rush near the ticket counter. My wife, Shanti Devi, and my daughter, Pooja Kumari, were crushed in the chaos. My son, Avinash, is missing. People were pushing, screaming. I don't know where he is.'
The festival attracts tens of millions of people of Hindu faith every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj, and has a history of crowd crushes - including one last month, which led to the death of 30 people.
As railway police and emergency responders struggled to clear the platforms, the aftermath painted a grim picture—scattered footwear, abandoned luggage, and the echoes of grief-stricken families searching for their missing loved ones.
The authorities have said that the 'unprecedented' rush of passengers at two platforms -13 and 14 - led to chaos and panic ultimately causing the stampede about 10pm local time (4.30pm GMT).
In an official statement, the deputy commissioner of police (DCP-railway), KPS Malhotra, reported that platform number 14 was already heavily crowded as the Prayagraj Express awaited departure.
Additionally, delays in the Swatantra Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express led to an increased passenger presence on platforms 12, 13, and 14, further contributing to the congestion.
'As per Chief Movement Inspector, every hour 1,500 general tickets were sold by 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,' Mr Malhotra said.
He elaborated that the crowd surged within 15-20 minutes after the announcement of a special train, as passengers hurried to board.
'Two trains were delayed, and due to the increased footfall, the crowd grew massive. A few people sustained injuries. As of now, the situation is under control,' he said.
Emergency services rushed to the scene as calls of distress poured in.
'I saw people gasping for breath, some collapsed on the platform,' said Meenakshi Sharma, who was frantically searching for her missing relatives.
'Children and women were the most affected. I begged people not to push, but no one listened.
'The crowd was so huge that it could not be controlled.'
Another eyewitness, Yadwindra Singh, 43, from Rajasthan, said: 'I was going to take a holy dip but many trains were running late or were cancelled. It caused a huge rush of people at the railway station, something I have never seen before.
'Amid the chaos, I heard screams and saw people rushing towards the exit. It was like a nightmare as I saw people being trampled under their feet. It was chaotic and horrifying.'
Ravi Kumar, a railway vendor, told local media that there was a huge crowd on platform numbers 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 - where there were trains for Prayagraj. 'I had never witnessed such a crowd before,' he told the PTI.
Authorities initially dismissed reports of a stampede as mere rumours. It was only after bodies and the injured began arriving at hospitals that officials acknowledged the extent of the disaster.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi later tweeted: 'Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.'
A two-member high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter and determine the cause of the stampede, executive director of information and publicity at the Railway Board, Dilip Kumar said.
A sergeant with the Indian Air Force (IAF), Ajit, who was at the station at the time, described the moment chaos erupted.
'I tried to warn people over the loudspeakers not to crowd the platform, but no one was listening. The administration was doing its best, but the sheer volume of people made it impossible to control.'
The world's largest congregation of humanity, the Hindu festival has already seen gigantic daily crowds, with nearly 148 million people attending since it began two weeks ago.
The railway ministry said: 'An unprecedented rush situation developed today at about 10pm in New Delhi railway station near platforms 13 and 14. Some of the passengers present there on the platforms fainted due to this sudden rush further leading to the rumours of stampede like situation. This led to the spread of panic.'
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered a high level inquiry into the incident.
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