At least 18 people were killed in a stampede at a railway station in New Delhi late Saturday as crowds scrambled to catch trains to the ongoing Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief, saying he was “distressed” by the tragedy. “My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he wrote on X.
The stampede reportedly began when the platform for a special train to Prayagraj, the site of the festival, was suddenly changed, causing chaos. “People started colliding and fell on the escalator and stairs,” a porter at the station told The Times of India.
Dr. Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent of Lok Nayak Hospital, confirmed 15 deaths, adding that most likely died from hypoxia or blunt injuries. “There are also 11 injured, most of them stable with orthopedic injuries,” she said. Three more deaths were reported by another hospital in the city.
Most of the victims were women and children, officials said.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced a high-level inquiry into the incident and added that additional special trains were being deployed to ease congestion.
The Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years in Prayagraj, attracts millions of Hindu devotees. Officials estimate that around 500 million people have visited the festival since it began last month.
The gathering has a history of crowd-related tragedies. Last month, 30 people died in a stampede at the holy confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers. In 2013, 36 people were crushed to death during the festival, and the 1954 event saw over 400 fatalities, one of the deadliest crowd disasters in history.
Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, said disaster management teams had been mobilized, and hospitals were on high alert to handle emergencies. The Kumbh Mela is set to conclude on February 26.
