BBC Hindi, Delhi
On Sunday morning, the New Delhi railway station in the capital of India looked a lot as always; Lucid, with many platforms full of impatient, eager passengers waiting to catch their trains.
But on Saturday night, a deadly breakdown – according to messages caused by overcrowding – killed at least 18 people and left several injuredS
According to officials, two trains were delayed at the station while a third was held – aimed at the town of Prajagai, where the massive Hindu religious festival was held Kumb Mela – waited for people to stray against each other.
The collapse happened after “a passenger slipped and fell down the stairs,” said a spokesman for Indian railways.
Opposition leaders criticize the government, claiming that Indian railways have not made adequate arrangements to manage the crowd at the station.
The investigation has begun and the authorities have announced compensation for the victims.
Asked by the BBC about the safety and safety of the station, Pankai Gangwar, Chief Chief Commissioner for Security on the Northern Railway, said “Let the investigation end first.”
Crowns, like these, are not unheard of in India, where there is frequent overpopulation of religious events, festivals and public spaces. Last month, 30 people were killed and dozens were injured in a crush of Mela CumbusS
The crowds of the train station were also not unexpected – trains are far the cheapest way to transport long distances in India and it is common for the number of passengers to exceed the capacity of trains.
Eyewitnesses and the victims' families tell their ordeal. Many of them were angry with the authorities and police officers of the train station, which they say it was not working on time.
Some eyewitnesses said the crush was not limited to one place, but it was held on the aerial bridge, stairs and platforms.
Bipin Jo was at the train station to meet his wife Mamta, who was on a train. She died in the crush.
“I met her on the platform and walked along the pedestrian bridge when she was trapped in the crush. She died before my eyes. I will live my life with the fault not to save her,” he says.
“We were on the stairs, suddenly we felt a boost from the back. We fell, along with many others, and we were trapped under the bodies. I hardly breathed,” said Seem, whose law of the sister Picky Devi died on the stairs.
Usha Devi, who was traveling to the eastern state of Bihar for his nephew's wedding, said the chaos erupted the moment he reached the platform.
“Many people fell. There were scattered things, groceries and clothing everywhere. I was on the verge of fainting. So many people crashed. The crowd was so thick that we couldn't get on our train.”
Abchinav gaelThe wife of Musash Giri Shlam Shiham was among the victims.
“The crowd became uncontrollable,” he told the BBC Hindi as he was waiting outside the morgue at Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi.
“I saw a few bodies that are already lying there. People collide with each other, while others started falling over them,” said G -H Giri, who was also injured.
He added that the aid took time to arrive and was praying with the officers for help.
Senior police officers and railway officers did not respond to the BBC's request for a comment.
Most of the victims were taken to the hospital Locke Nayak Jai Prakash in New Delhi, where police and paramilitary forces were located, and the railroad authorities created a desk for help to support families. Journalists were not allowed to enter the hospital on Saturday.
Relatives of victims shared their grief with reporters waiting outside, while expressing anger at the hospital establishments.
“Many people were packed on one bed,” Shobya was supposed to be Shila Devi's daughter -in -law.
Others coming out of the hospital also confirmed this. Hospital authorities did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
At Lady Harding's Hospital, the grieving family of Ria, 7 years, finished the documents so that they can get her body.
“No child deserves to die like that,” said her uncle Vivek, wiping tears.