Eyewitnesses recount Delhi stampede horror: 'People collided, fell on escalator and stairs'

The incident, which left at least 18 people dead and several others injured, unfolded as passengers attempted to board trains bound for Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Survivors and eyewitnesses of the tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station have described scenes of chaos and devastation, as a massive crowd surged on platforms 14 and 15 late Saturday night. The incident, which left at least 18 people dead and several others injured, unfolded as passengers attempted to board trains bound for Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Ved Gupta, a passenger who managed to escape unhurt, recounted the terrifying moments. “I was going to Prayagraj to take a holy dip. There was a huge crowd at platform number 14. We were two of us, and we somehow escaped unhurt. It was a very bad scene,” he said while interacting with PTI.

Geeta, a worker at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, where the victims were taken, said, "Injured and dead bodies started arriving around 10 pm. We received 15 dead bodies and 10-12 injured patients. Three of the deceased were children," in an interaction with ANI.

At the railway station, porters who witnessed the tragedy described unprecedented crowd levels. A coolie, who has worked at the station since 1981, interacting with ANI, recalled, "I have never seen such a crowd before. The Prayagraj Special was originally scheduled to depart from Platform 12 but was shifted to Platform 16. As passengers rushed to the new platform, people collided and fell on the escalator and stairs. We helped carry at least 15 bodies into ambulances. The platform was littered with shoes and clothes."

A railway porter who was assisting during the rescue efforts revealed the grim aftermath of the stampede. “People started gathering at around 8:30 pm. We have recovered at least 15 bodies. Women and children have lost their lives in the stampede,” he said.

Ravi Kumar, a railway vendor present during the tragedy, noted the overwhelming rush of passengers across multiple platforms. “There was a huge crowd on platforms 12, 14, 15, and 16, where trains for Prayagraj were stationed. It’s a small bridge, and people in large numbers gathered here yesterday. I had never witnessed such a crowd before,” he recounted.

"The stampede broke out around 9:30 pm. When people on Platform 13 saw trains on Platforms 14 and 15, they surged forward. The crowd was too large to control," he further added during his interaction with the press.

Meanwhile, an Indian Air Force (IAF) sergeant, who was present at the scene, said, "The administration was working hard to prevent a mishap, but no one was listening. Even the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel struggled as the crowd exceeded all limits."

At LNJP Hospital, a grieving man, Sanjay, who lost his sister, said, "We were 12 people traveling to Maha Kumbh. We were still at the stairs when we got stuck in the crowd. We searched for my sister for half an hour, but by then, she had died."

Delhi Police has launched an investigation into the incident, zeroing in on CCTV footage and station announcements. DCP Railways KPS Malhotra admitted that authorities were expecting a crowd but could not anticipate how quickly the situation would spiral out of control.

"We expected a rush, but it all happened in a fraction of a second. The Railways will conduct a fact-finding investigation, and only then will we know the exact cause," Malhotra said.

Officials suspect that train delays, last-minute platform changes, and overcrowding resulted in the tragedy. Meanwhile, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who visited the injured, has directed senior officials to oversee relief operations.

(With inputs from agencies)