MUMBAI, Oct 27: At least ten persons were injured in a stampede at Mumbai’s Bandra railway station on Sunday when hundreds of people attempted to board a Gorakhpur-bound train to head to their native places for the upcoming Diwali and Chhatth festivals, civic officials said.
The Western Railway, however, stated two persons were injured in the incident. The figures cannot be reconciled immediately.
The condition of one of the injured persons is critical, a civic official said.
The incident occurred at platform number 1 around 2:45 AM when unreserved Bandra-Gorakhpur Antyodaya Express was “slowly moving” from the BDTS (Bandra Terminus) yard towards the platform before its scheduled departure at 5.10 am.
The platform was teeming with people eager to board the train that would take them to their native places in Uttar Pradesh for upcoming festivals.
According to the Western Railway (WR), the train was moving slowly from the yard towards the platform when several passengers made a dangerous attempt to board it. This led to injuries as two individuals fell while trying to climb aboard.
Prima facie, some individuals fell on the platform after colliding with the coaches or while trying to navigate the space between two coaches, railway sources said.
“Ideally, the doors of the coaches are opened only after the train comes to a complete stop at the platform, allowing passengers to board in an orderly queue,” a WR official stated.
Some passengers on the platform attempted to board the moving train, leading to an accident wherein two passengers fell and sustained injuries, said the WR’s statement issued around 10.30 am.
“The on-duty Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and Home Guard personnel quickly responded, taking the injured to Bhabha Government Hospital,” a WR statement said.
While the majority of the injured are reported to be in stable condition, two individuals are said to be in critical condition.
However, as per the Mumbai disaster control cell and a civic official, ten passengers were injured in the stampede.
Three out of the ten injured took discharge against medical advice, a civic official said in the evening.
In light of the stampede, the WR has urged passengers not to board or alight from moving trains.The WR is operating more than 130 festival special trains for various destinations, especially to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in view of the upcoming Diwali and Chhath festivals, it said in the statement.
In the aftermath of the incident, videos surfaced on social media showing the chaos, including footage of injured passengers being assisted by railway officials and bystanders.
A video clip shows a person lying on a platform with a leg injury whereas other passengers are boarding the train without paying attention to him.
Separate videos show an RPF officer carrying an injured passenger on his shoulder and another RPF officer evacuating an injured person using a cloth as a (makeshift) stretcher assisted by some passengers. (PTI)
