At least 15 people, including ten women and three children, were killed in a crowd crush at a train station in New Delhi, India during the Mahakumbh Mela religious festival. The incident occurred as a surge of passengers were waiting to board trains to Prayagraj city, over 600km away, for the annual festival. India’s Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw deployed four trains to evacuate the unexpected surge of travelers and ordered an investigation into the incident.
Witnesses reported a chaotic situation with people jostling to board packed train carriages, leading to a crowd surge and panic. Rumors of a stampede further exacerbated the situation. The Mahakumbh Mela is a significant event on the Hindu religious calendar, with millions of devotees attending since January.
This is not the first time such incidents have occurred during religious festivals in India. In the past, similar crowd crushes have resulted in fatalities, with the Mahakumbh Mela seeing at least 30 deaths last month and even more in previous years. India’s railway system has also faced serious accidents, with a collision in 2023 killing hundreds.
The Indian government has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, aiming to prevent such tragedies in the future. As one of the largest train networks globally, safety measures and crowd control will be essential during major events like religious festivals to ensure the well-being of passengers and prevent further accidents.
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