Mumbai Stampede: Nine injured at Bandra Terminus amid festive rush

The rush followed a large gathering at Bandra Terminus as people prepared to travel for Diwali and Chhath festivals.

Nine people were injured, including two critically, during a stampede at Mumbai's Bandra railway station early Sunday morning as crowds surged to board a Gorakhpur-bound train, officials said.

The rush followed a large gathering at Bandra Terminus as people prepared to travel for Diwali and Chhath festivals. The incident occurred around 5:56 am when passengers attempted to board the unreserved 22921 Bandra-Gorakhpur Antyodaya Express as it was being brought onto platform no.1, according to a civic official.

With north-bound trains operating at full capacity, the empty Antyodaya Express with 22 general coaches was being positioned on the platform around 2:45 am. As passengers, who had been waiting in line, tried to board the train, confusion arose because the coach doors were still locked, railway sources said. In the rush, several passengers fell between or collided with the coaches.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and bystanders quickly moved the injured to Bhabha Hospital. Those hurt were identified as Shabhir Abdul Rehman (40), Parmeshwar Sukhdar Gupta (28), Ravindra Harihar Chuma (30), Ramsevak Ravindra Prasad Prajapati (29), Sanjay Tilakram Kangay (27), Divyanshu Yogendra Yadav (18), Mohammad Shareef Shaikh (25), Indrajith Sahani (19), and Noor Mohammad Shaikh (18), a civic official confirmed. Shahani and Noor Mohammad are reportedly in critical condition.

Western Railway has yet to release an official statement, and spokesperson Vineet Abhishek was unavailable for comment. Despite the incident, the Antyodaya Express departed from Bandra Terminus close to its scheduled time.