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New Delhi – Survivors and eyewitnesses of the tragic New Delhi Railway Station stampede have described harrowing scenes of chaos, as a massive crowd surged on platforms 14 and 15 late Saturday night. The disaster, which claimed at least 18 lives and left several injured, unfolded as passengers scrambled to board trains bound for Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela.
"It Was a Very Bad Scene" – Survivors Speak
Ved Gupta, a passenger who narrowly escaped, recalled the terrifying moments. “I was going to Prayagraj for a holy dip. The crowd at Platform 14 was massive. We barely managed to escape. It was a very bad scene,” he told PTI.
At Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, where the injured were rushed, hospital worker Geeta described the grim influx of casualties. “Injured and dead bodies started arriving around 10 pm. We received 15 bodies and 10-12 injured patients. Three of the deceased were children,” she told ANI.
Porters Describe Unprecedented Crowd Surge
Railway porters at the station, who have witnessed decades of rush-hour crowds, described the chaos as unparalleled.
A coolie working at the station since 1981 told ANI, “I have never seen such a crowd before. The Prayagraj Special was originally scheduled to depart from Platform 12 but was moved to Platform 16. As passengers rushed, people fell on the escalator and stairs. We helped carry at least 15 bodies into ambulances. Shoes and clothes were scattered everywhere.”
A railway vendor, Ravi Kumar, noted the overwhelming rush across multiple platforms. “Platforms 12, 14, 15, and 16 were all packed with passengers heading to Prayagraj. The bridge is small, and thousands gathered here at once. I’ve never witnessed such a crowd before.”
"Even the NDRF Struggled" – Officials Overwhelmed
An Indian Air Force (IAF) sergeant, present at the scene, described how the authorities struggled to control the crowd. “The administration tried to prevent a mishap, but no one was listening. Even National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel found it difficult to manage the situation.”
At LNJP Hospital, families mourned their loved ones. Sanjay, who lost his sister in the tragedy, recounted their desperate search. “We were a group of 12, stuck on the stairs in the crowd. We searched for my sister for half an hour, but by then, she had already died.”
Investigation Underway, Officials Blame Overcrowding
Delhi Police has launched an investigation, analyzing CCTV footage and station announcements.
DCP Railways KPS Malhotra admitted that while authorities had expected a large crowd, they could not predict how quickly the situation would spiral out of control. “We expected a rush, but it happened in a fraction of a second. The Railways will conduct a fact-finding investigation to determine the exact cause.”
Officials suspect train delays, last-minute platform changes, and overcrowding triggered the disaster. Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who visited the injured, has directed senior officials to oversee relief operations.
