New Delhi:

At least 15 people were killed and several were injured in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday, caused by a sudden rush of passengers who tried to board trains for the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said a high level inquiry has been ordered on the “unfortunate incident”. 

According to sources, the injured were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain (LNJP) Hospital for treatment. 

Deputy commissioner of police (railway) said many people were present on platform number 14 when the Prayagraj Express train was standing at the platform. The Swantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express were delayed and the passengers of these trains were also present on platform numbers 12, 13 and 14, the official said in a statement. 

Eyewitnesses said due to a huge rush at the station, several passengers fainted due to suffocation.  

Here are the updates on New Delhi Railway Station stampede:

Prayagraj:

Thirty people were killed in the stampede that happened just before dawn at the Maha Kumbh venue in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, the police chief that oversees security at the massive religious gathering told reporters today.

Twenty-five bodies have been identified, police officer Vaibhav Krishna told reporters, adding 60 were injured. Many have been hospitalised.

The announcement of casualties came hours after local reports and Prayagraj residents posted on social media about deaths at the stampede. The reports were, however, not consistent with the number of dead.

The pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh broke out after many pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days.

Many people started breaking barricades before the stampede happened, the police officer said.

Sarojini, a Karnataka resident who came to take a dip in the Maha Kumbh, told news agency PTI, “We came in a batch of 60 people in two buses. There were nine people in our group. Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. Many fell down and the crowd became uncontrollable.”

A woman at a local hospital, whose child was injured, said there was nowhere to go when people started pushing in the massive crowd. “Some people who pushed us were laughing while we begged them for kindness towards the children,” she told PTI.

Mr Krishna, the Deputy Inspector in General (DIG) of Maha Kumbh, said the situation is under control.

President of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Mahant Ravindra Puri, who was headed towards the Triveni Sangam for the amrit snan said thousands of saints and Naga sadhus were coming with him. “We are going for the amrit snan… We will vacate the ghats very quickly so that all the devotees who have come here are able to take a holy dip.”

Digambar Naga Baba Chidanand Puri of Panchayati Niranjani Akhara told news agency ANI after taking amrit snan that after the incident, people from the Niranjani Akhara are coming in small numbers to take the holy dip.

Mahakumbh Nagar:

“I feel I was an Indian in my previous birth,” Emma, steep in Hindu culture, and a first-time visitor to Kumbh, said.

A grand 12-year affair, Maha Kumbh is set to open from Monday, expecting a footfall of around 40 crore people from across the country and abroad.

Camps have been set up on a small city-scale fair ground, established on the banks of Sangam – a confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati.

Emma is one of the three friends who have come from Italy for the first time to Kumbh to experience probably the largest community bath in the world.

“This is my first time visiting the Maha Kumbh. I am a yoga teacher, and many of my friends are Indians. I deeply admire Indian culture, and I feel as if I was Indian in my previous birth. I love Indian music, bhajans, and kirtans. The arrangements here at the Maha Kumbh are excellent,” Emma, who has been staying in a camp by the river bank, said.

Her companion, Pietro, was no less captivated by the stories and decided to join his friends for the trip.

“I am a yoga practitioner and have some knowledge of Indian culture. The Kumbh Mela is the largest spiritual event of Sanatan Dharma, and this is my first visit here. When my friends planned this trip, I decided to join them to experience this extraordinary event,” Pietro said.

Stefano, the third member of the group, said his curiosity in the Maha Kumbh was sparked by his friends from Russia, who had embraced the life of Naga Sadhus after visiting India.

“This is my first visit to the Kumbh. Some of my sadhu friends from Russia shared their experiences about the event, which inspired me to come here,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)