At least 37 Hindu pilgrims were killed in stampede at a railway station in Indian city of Allahabad during the ongoing Hindu pilgrimage (Kumbh yatra) last evening. The death toll is likely to go up.

New Delhi, Feb 11/Nationalturk- : At least 37 Hindu pilgrims were killed in stampede at a railway station in Indian city of Allahabad during the ongoing Hindu pilgrimage (Kumbh yatra) last evening. The authorities have launched a probe.

Media reports said the stampede took place at Platform No 6 of Allahabad railway station last evening. “The stampede was triggered near a foot overbridge when thousands of Hindu pilgrims rushed to board a train whose arrival was being announced in a public address system. The bodies of some of the victims shrouded in white cloth were kept at the platform for several hours.”

Officials said 37 persons died in the stampede and many others were injured. The victims include 26 women, 10 men and a child. “Bodies of 20 victims have been identified while identification of the remaining was going on”.

They said the death toll is likely to rise as many injured are in critical condition.

Over 30 million pilgrims were present in Allahabad on Sunday

Reports said over 30 million Hindu pilgrims were present in Allahabad on Sunday for participating in one of the Hindu tradition mauni amavasya, believed to be the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh, which takes place once every 12 years.

Indian Railway Minister Pawan Bansal told reporters this morning that the death toll has reached 36. After his announcement, another critically injured person succumbed to injuries.

Bansal blamed huge rush of people for stampede at the foot-over-bridge. “There has been no collapse of foot-over-bridge or any railing on the station. I want to clear that stampede occurred due to people reaching in large numbers. We had made arrangements before start of the Kumbh. We have come to know that people turned in large numbers resulting in stampede,” he said.

He admitted that there was lack of arrangements due to huge turn up of people. “It was not possible to accommodate a large numbers of devotees, who had reached railway station.”

Meanwhile, the Indian State of United Pradesh, where Allahabad falls, has ordered a high level inquiry into the stampede. “The government wants to ascertain whether the stampede and deaths occurred due to human error,” officials said.

 

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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News

 

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