Announcement of two trains with identical names led to stampede at New Delhi Rly station: Police

New Delhi: The Delhi police said that the identical names of two trains-Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special- led to confusion, resulting in the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, news agency ANI reported on Sunday.

The announcement that Prayagraj Special would arrive at Platform 16 created panic among the passengers who were waiting to board the Prayagraj Express at Platform 14.

Upon hearing the announcement, those who were unable to board the Express train started to flock towards platform 16 along with others who were confused with the names of the two trains, resulting in overcrowding and subsequent stampede.

Additionally, there were four trains heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing an unexpected overcrowding. Around 1500 general tickets were sold by the railways every hour and no arrangements were made to control the crowd.

Around 18 people were killed and dozens injured in the chaos that erupted at the station around 9:55 pm on Saturday night. The Indian Railways announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the relatives of those killed in the incident, while Rs 2.5 lakh will be given to those with serious injuries. People who sustained minor injuries will receive Rs 1 lakh.

President Draupadi Murmu expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives in the stampede and extended her condolences to the families of the deceased. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply distressed by the incident and added that the authorities are assisting people who were affected.