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At least 18 people, including ten women and three children, were killed in a tragic crowd crush at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims had gathered to board trains to Prayagraj for the annual Mahakumbh Mela religious festival when chaos erupted around 8pm local time (14:30 GMT).
Eyewitnesses reported a sudden surge of people rushing toward an arriving train, causing panic and leading to the deadly crush. Video footage shared on social media showed frantic passengers jostling for space on overcrowded platforms and train carriages.
Authorities believe the incident was triggered by the delay of two trains, which resulted in an overwhelming crowd buildup. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi initially confirmed 15 deaths, while the Press Trust of India later updated the toll to 18.
India’s Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced that four additional trains were deployed to manage the unexpected surge, and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the disaster.
The Mahakumbh Mela, one of Hinduism’s largest religious gatherings, has already seen around 500 million devotees since its commencement in January. Crowd crush incidents are not uncommon at major religious events in India, where massive gatherings often lead to dangerous overcrowding.
