Moments after New Delhi railway station stampede: Sirens, confusion, desperation

A deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station killed 18, causing chaos and panic as overcrowding surged with three trains bound for Prayagraj.

Within hours of a deadly stampede that killed at least 18 people on Saturday night, New Delhi Railway Station was a scene of desperation and chaos. Sirens wailed through the night as ambulances and police vehicles rushed to the station, while frantic families searched for their missing loved ones amid the overwhelming crowd.

Ambulances lined up outside the New Delhi railway station late on Saturday night. (HT Photo)

By 12.30am, over a dozen ambulances, two dozen police vehicles, and hundreds of security personnel were stationed in and around the station. The entry and exit gates were heavily guarded, and there was an increased security presence at platforms 12 to 16. Ticket counters were shut, and railway announcements were suspended until after 1.30am, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Survivors described the horror of thousands crowding onto platforms as three Prayagraj-bound trains prepared to depart for the Maha Kumbh, setting off last-minute confusion and panic that led to the stampede.

Eyewitness Madhu Gupta, a Noida resident who barely managed to board her train from Platform 14, described the moments of terror. “When an announcement was made about a special train arriving on Platform 15, people panicked. Some thought the Prayagraj Express had shifted platforms. There was no one to guide us. People were stuck together, gasping for air. I don’t know how my family survived,” she said on the phone with HT, still shaken.

Upendra Kumar, an autorickshaw driver, rushed back to the station after hearing the news, fearing for a passenger he had dropped off. “I’ve been driving here for 12 years, but I’ve never seen anything like this. People were running everywhere, even outside the station,” he said.

Manoj Shukla, another commuter, was trapped on the staircase to Platform 15 around 9.30pm when the overcrowding peaked. “I couldn’t reach the platform, but I saw people running across the tracks as soon as an announcement for the Magadh Express was made. People were piled on top of each other. There was no space to breathe. It was horrifying,” he said, still in shock as he sat outside Platform 14, uncertain about how he would reach Prayagraj.

Pramod Kumar Singh, who was there to board a train to Bihar, said he saw hundreds of passengers being cleared from platforms 14, 15, and 16 an hour after the stampede. “It was chaos. There was nowhere to move; people were crying and pushing in every direction.”

Railway officials said the congestion had begun building up at Platform 14, where the Prayagraj Express was set to depart. Two other Prayagraj-bound trains—the Swatantrata Senani Express and the Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani—were delayed, exacerbating the overcrowding. With passengers from all three trains stuck, the situation quickly spiralled out of control.

By 3 am, hundreds of security personnel and railway staff had cleared platforms 10 through 16, but for many passengers, the damage was already done.

Many passengers who survived the stampede lost their luggage and essential belongings.

Naveen Kumar, 23, was still searching for his friends when HT approached him at 1.15am. “There was no official help till 10pm. Passengers and railway staff were the ones helping in the rescue,” he said.

Kamlesh Singh, who was travelling to Bihar and missed his train, recounted the desperation around him. “We saw at least 20 people being carried out by rescuers. It caused even more chaos as the news of deaths spread through the station,” he said.

Vikas Thakur, 28, who missed his train to Darbhanga, said: “From 7pm, the crowd kept building up. The number of police and railway staff was nowhere near enough to handle it. By 9 or 10pm, the station was left to manage itself—there wasn’t an inch of space on the platforms,” he said. With his next train scheduled for the morning, he decided to wait outside the station rather than risk another rush inside.

“When Prayagraj Express was standing at platform number 14, a heavy crowd was present at the platform. Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani were delayed and passenger of these trains were also present at platform no. 12, 13 and 14. That’s why the crowd became uncontrollable,” said KPS Malhotra, DCP (Railways).