NEW DELHI — The death toll from a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station has risen to 18, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Delhi police stated that the incident occurred late Saturday night due to an "unexpected rush" of passengers. An investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the tragedy, railway officials said.
Railway spokesman Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay told reporters that the stampede was triggered when a man slipped and fell on the stairs, causing several others standing behind him to topple over.
National Disaster Response Force official Daulat Ram Chaudhary confirmed that the situation at the station has returned to normal and that all injured passengers have been evacuated.
Indian Railways has announced financial compensation of approximately $11,500 for the families of the deceased and around $2,884 for those seriously injured.
Officials attributed the heavy crowd to an influx of devotees traveling to board trains for Maha Kumbh Mela, India's largest Hindu festival, currently underway in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the victims' families, while opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the government, stating that the tragedy "once again highlights the failure of the railways and the insensitivity of the government."
“Considering the large number of devotees traveling to Prayagraj, better arrangements should have been made at the station,” Gandhi wrote on X.
Eyewitnesses told local media that there was no crowd control at the time of the incident.
The stampede comes just weeks after another tragic incident at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival. On Jan. 29, at least 30 people were killed in a stampede at the festival, which is held every 12 years on the riverbanks of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.
Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, is a sacred site for Hindus, home to the Triveni Sangam—the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers. The festival, which began on Jan. 13, is scheduled to continue until Feb. 26. — Agencies
