Woman, Boy Die In Delhi Rail Stampede

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A survivor breaks down after her family members were injured in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Sunday. PHOTO: P

A 35-year-old woman and a young boy were killed in a stampede at New Delhi railway station on Sunday afternoon after a change in platform of a Bihar-bound train was announced at the last minute.
At least nine others were seriously injured, while scores more sustained minor injuries as they got caught in the stampede. Railway minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in Kolkata, ordered an inquiry into the incident, and announced ex-gratia payments of Rs 2 lakhs each to the next-of-kin of those who had died.
Northern Railway officials said the stampede broke out at 2.36 pm after an announcement that the Sapt Kranti Express, which was earlier due to leave from Platform 13, would now depart from Platform 12.
Earlier, the Vikramshila Express, another Bihar-bound train, was scheduled to be at that platform.
The officials said the announcement about the change was made literally minutes before the scheduled departure time of the train, leaving many travellers worried they might not be able to board it in time.
In the panic-stricken rush that followed, a woman passenger tripped near the staircase, triggering the entire tragedy.
Passengers began running from one side of the platform to another, worsening the situation.
Some tripped while running and fell down, and others ran over them in a hurry to not miss the train.
Fire brigade personnel, civil defence teams and CATS ambulances were rushed to the spot, while both the railway police and Delhi police tried to bring things under control.
Some order was restored in about half an hour, but by then many persons had been left injured and several others were in a state of shock. The luggage of scores of passengers lay strewn all around as the New Delhi railway staff tried to clear the platform.
The injured were rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia and Loknayak Jayaprakash Hospitals.
The woman who was killed has been identified as Soni, a resident of Bahadurgarh in Uttar Pradesh, but the identity of the 13-year-old boy is yet to be established.