The death toll from a tragic stampede at the main railway station in India's capital, New Delhi, has risen to at least 18, including five children, according to media reports citing the Press Trust of India. The youngest victim was seven years old, while the oldest was 79. A list provided by the police revealed that 14 of the deceased were female.
Atishi, the chief minister of the national capital territory, stated on social media platform X that many of the victims were pilgrims traveling to attend the Hindu Maha Kumbh festival. She had earlier reported that 15 people had died in the incident. More than a dozen injured individuals are currently receiving treatment in hospitals.
The stampede occurred around 8 p.m. local time on Saturday at two platforms where passengers were waiting to board trains bound for Prayagraj city, where the Maha Kumbh is taking place. According to eyewitnesses, the station was overcrowded, and as the crowd surged towards the departing train, panic ensued. Images and videos from the scene depicted chaotic scenes, with people falling over one another as police and emergency teams worked to restore order.
"There was a sea of humanity at the railway station, and the crowd surged towards the train going to Prayagraj," a distraught woman told India Today. "I lost my belongings and barely survived."
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that an inquiry had been launched to determine the cause of the incident. Meanwhile, Delhi's lieutenant-governor VK Saxena visited some of the injured in hospital and described the event as a "very tragic incident."
This is not the first time India has witnessed deadly stampedes, especially during religious gatherings. Last month, a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh in northern India claimed dozens of lives as millions of Hindu pilgrims gathered for a holy dip in sacred river waters. Several other stampedes have occurred over the years at religious sites, including a fatal incident in July 2024 when 121 people died in Uttar Pradesh while trying to get a glimpse of a Hindu preacher.
The tragedy at the railway station comes amid concerns over India's transport infrastructure. The country’s railway network, the fourth largest in the world, has been undergoing a $30 billion upgrade as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to improve connectivity. However, safety remains a critical issue, with several deadly train accidents occurring in recent years, including a collision in 2023 that killed at least 288 people.
Authorities are now focused on investigating the causes of the latest incident and providing relief to the victims' families while ensuring preventive measures for future pilgrim gatherings.