Elphinstone Railway Station Stampede: The incident took place between Parel and Elphinstone stations.
Highlights
- Most of the injured people were taken to KEM Hospital
- Incident took place on bridge between Elphinstone Road and Parel stations
- Maharashtra CM announces Rs 5 lakh for families of those who have died
22 people have been killed and over 30 seriously injured in a stampede that broke out in Mumbai this morning during peak office hours on a bridge linking two suburban train stations. The incident took place at around 10:30 am on the foot over-bridge linking Elphinstone Road and Parel suburban stations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took note of the tragedy and said the situation is being continuously monitored. Visuals showed people on the ground and passers-by dragging the injured down the bridge. Thousands of commuters use the two stations and the bridge everyday as many officers are in the area.
Here are the top 10 updates on this big story:
The injured have been taken to KEM Hospital and other nearby hospitals. Senior police officers are at the railway station.
"Two people fell down first. There was heavy rain at that time. Soon, there was a stampede. We took the injured to the hospitals," an eyewitness told NDTV.
"We are still inquiring into the exact reasons. It happened on the narrow staircase. All the injured were rushed to the nearest hospitals," said police officer Niket Kaushik.
A railways official said the stampede was triggered after four trains approached the station from different lines. "Because of the rain, two trains came here, two on central line. Four trains came at the same time," the western railways official said.
"Many were waiting in the rain. There were too many people in a cramped space. When people were trying to rush to their trains, the stampede happened," said railway spokesperson Anil Saxena. A 40-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been moved to the site of the stampede.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for the families of those who died. Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who arrived in Mumbai, also announced Rs. 5 lakh as compensation for the families of those who died.
Elphinstone Road station is a busy hub for local train commuters as a large number of offices are located in the area.Crowd management at busy suburban stations like Parel and Elphinstone has been a longstanding demand. "It was a disaster waiting to happen," a resident said.
Helpline numbers: Churchgate - 022-22039840, Mumbai Central - 022-23051665, Elphinstone- 022-24301614.
"Situation in Mumbai is being continuously monitored. @PiyushGoyal is in Mumbai taking stock of the situation & ensuring all assistance," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shruti Lokre, a commuter who survived the stampede, told NDTV on phone, ““The crowd was increasing, there was no help…We couldn’t breathe, we were falling on each other, there was panic. When a mob panics, you can’t think.”
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