New Delhi: The death toll from a stampede at New Delhi’s main railway station has climbed to at least 18, including five children, according to reports from the Press Trust of India. Authorities confirmed that the youngest victim was just seven years old, while the oldest was 79. A majority of the deceased were women, with only four men among the casualties.
Atishi, the chief minister of the national capital territory who goes by a single name, stated on social media platform X that many of the victims were pilgrims en route to the Hindu Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj. Initially, she reported 15 fatalities, but the number has since risen. More than a dozen injured individuals are receiving medical treatment at local hospitals, media outlets reported.
The death toll in a stampede at the main railway station in New Delhi rose to at least 18, including five children, media reports said https://t.co/jByCjyYeeN pic.twitter.com/MjosBaYxDr
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 16, 2025
The stampede occurred around 8 p.m. local time (1430 GMT) on Saturday across two platforms, where large crowds had gathered to board trains heading to Prayagraj. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as passengers pushed forward in a rush to secure spots on the overcrowded trains.
“There was a sea of humanity at the railway station, and the crowd surged towards the train going to Prayagraj,” a distressed woman told India Today. “I lost my belongings and barely survived.”
Graphic images and videos from the scene depicted people collapsing under the pressure of the crowd while police and rescue teams scrambled to restore order and assist the injured. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that an official inquiry had been launched to determine the cause of the incident and prevent future tragedies.
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The disaster comes just weeks after a similar tragedy at the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India, where a pre-dawn stampede claimed dozens of lives as millions of devotees gathered to take a ritual dip in sacred river waters.
India has a long history of deadly stampedes, particularly at religious events and public gatherings, where overcrowding and inadequate crowd control measures often lead to catastrophic outcomes.
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Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, a senior official overseeing the capital’s administration, visited some of the injured at local hospitals. “This is a very tragic incident, and we pray for those who have lost their lives,” Atishi said in a statement.
The railway tragedy also highlights broader concerns about India’s transportation infrastructure. The country has suffered several rail-related accidents in recent years, including a devastating train collision in 2023 that left at least 288 people dead. India’s railway network, the fourth largest in the world, is currently undergoing a $30 billion modernization effort as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to improve connectivity and passenger safety.
