The Prayagraj Express was stationed at platform 14, while the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express were delayed, causing an overwhelming surge of people on platforms 12, 13, and 14.The situation worsened when a last-minute platform change was announced.Confused and panicked, the passengers rushed towards platform 16, where an escalator became a choking point.Security personnel tried to intervene, but the crowd was too large to control.Some passengers attempted to climb railings to escape, while others were crushed underfoot.Eighteen people — ?14 women and five children, including two under 10 — lost their lives in the stampede, while more than a dozen others suffered injuries.As dawn broke, railway staff began the grim task of cleaning up.Videos shared by news agency PTI showed workers sweeping debris off the platform roof and clearing the tracks.Bags and clothing were collected in piles, while officials searched for any remaining personal belongings.At the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, grieving families gathered to identify their loved ones.A father, searching desperately for his missing son, broke down upon seeing a familiar blue backpack among the items recovered from the station.”He was just 12. He was supposed to board the train with me,” he sobbed.The government has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased.Expressing his condolences on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery.” Railway authorities have admitted that overcrowding was a major factor for the disaster.
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