Passengers Confused between Two Trains Led to A Stampede at New Delhi Railway Station
Massive Stampede at New Delhi Railway Station leaves 18 dead. People confuse two trains arriving at different platforms as they rush to take their trains.
Two trains having similar names created a chaotic situation in New Delhi Railway station leading to a stampede that claimed 18 lives. The incident happened on Saturday after the announcement at New Delhi Railway station confused passengers. Two trains, Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special, were announced simultaneously. Passengers rushed to their platform in fear of missing their trains.
Police confirmed that Prayagraj Special was supposed to arrive at Platform 16 and Prayagraj Express would arrive at Platform 14. The utter confusion among the passengers for the keyword “Prayagraj” led to the confusion of the police. "People who were reaching Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 and they rushed towards it, leading to the stampede claimed RPF.
Another 4 trains were heading to Prayagraj however, because of the delay the platforms were further overcrowded. A witness claimed that “There was confusion among the passengers regarding the train names and the change of platforms of the trains. Which ultimately led to the tragedy,
“As of now, Prayagraj Special will run from platform number 16, and then Vande Bharat will run. Let railways manage that show, we will do our work. We have sufficient deployment here. The situation at platform 16 is normal and under control," claimed the DCP of Railway. The railway board also announced the beginning of an investigation led by Narsingh Deo, Principal Chief Commercial Officer, and Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Safety Officer.
A high-level Inquiry will be started as a part of the incident. The Railway also informed that all the video footage will be needed so that a better resolution can be gained.
The situation at New Delhi Railway stations remains the same as crowds have increased multiple folds and RPF is doing every bit by which the crowd can be controlled and passenger safety can be enhanced. The RPF has also developed some Standard protocols for the safety of the passengers. They are not just managing the crowd at stations but also ensuring safer travel for passengers by controlling the crowd inside the train.
Currently, Platforms 14 and 16 are extremely vulnerable as the trains that pass through the platforms are mainly traveling to Prayagraj Hence, the police deployment has to be enhanced to ensure proper safety for the passengers.
Among the heavy crowd a child of 15 years old crying helplessly as she managed to get inside the crowded train but later suffered because of suffocation. While her mother also crying as the train departs leaving the mother-daughter duo separated. This is a sheer example of how crowded the trains are. Many people also claim that even moving on the train is challenging because of the influx of so many people.
