18 people died in a stampede at New Delhi railway station due to confusion in train names

New Delhi, February 16 – A tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night left 18 people dead and several others injured. The chaos was triggered by confusion between two similarly named trains—‘Prayagraj Express’ and ‘Prayagraj Special’—leading to panic among passengers. The stampede occurred as thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the upcoming Maha Kumbh 2025 festival.

The tragedy occurred during 10 PM when an announcement was made to the passengers that the ‘Prayagraj Special’ would be leaving from Platform 16. ‘Prayagraj Express’ was, however, waiting at Platform 14 at the same time. Several passengers confused their train to have been shifted and ran towards Platform 16, resulting in a fatal push. The situation became even worse because four trains were departing to Prayagraj, and three of them were late, so there was extreme congestion.

Eyewitnesses said they saw a state of panic when people from various platforms rushed together, adding to the chaos. The confusion regarding confusing announcements and the last-minute changes in platforms fed the stampede.

List of Deceased Victims

The tragedy left 18 dead, and among them were elderly women, children, and middle-aged adults. Officials have confirmed the following names of those killed:

• Aaha Devi, 79
• Pinky Devi, 41
• Sheela Devi, 50
• Vyom, 25
• Poonam Devi, 40
• Lalita Devi, 35
• Suruchi, 11
• Krishna Devi, 40
• Vijay Sah, 15
• Neeraj, 12
• Shanti Devi, 40
• Pooja Kumar, 8
• Sangeeta Malik, 34
• Poonam, 34
• Mamta Jha, 40
• Riya Singh, 7
• Baby Kumari, 24
• Manoj, 47

A number of injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, such as Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain (LNJP) Hospital. Most of them had chest and abdominal injuries, with asphyxia being the suspected cause of death for the majority of victims. Fractured and lightly injured passengers have since been discharged.

Indian Railways has declared financial compensation for the families of the victims in response to the tragedy.

• Rs 10 lakh for the families of the victims
• Rs 2.5 lakh for those grievously hurt
• Rs 1 lakh for those injured but not severely

The authorities have also opened special ticket counters and ‘May I Help You’ kiosks to avoid any further confusion at the station.

A top-level inquiry has been initiated to examine the incident. Indian Railways has constituted a two-member committee led by Northern Railway’s Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM) Narsingh Deo and Principal Chief Safety Commissioner (PCSC) Pankaj Gangwar. The committee will review CCTV footage and announcements on the platform to establish responsibility and suggest measures of prevention.

Delhi Police and Rail authorities have promised more security and improved communications systems to ensure such tragedies don’t recur. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway KPS Malhotra stated that Platform 16 is also back in order and under control.

While investigation is on, the authorities want passengers to be calm and hear official announcements instead of relying on hearsay so as not to confuse themselves or crowd railway stations.

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