18 dead in India stampede to catch trains to Hindu mega-festival

The Kumbh Mela attracts tens of millions of Hindu faithful every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj, and has a history of crowd-related disasters – including one last month, when at least 30 people died in another stampede at the holy confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

The rush at the station in New Delhi on Saturday appeared to break out as crowds struggled to board trains for the event, which will end on February 26.

“I can confirm 15 deaths at the hospital. They don’t have any open injury. Most [likely died from] hypoxia or maybe some blunt injury but that would only be confirmed after an autopsy,” said Dr Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent of Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi.

“There are also 11 others who are injured. Most of them are stable and have orthopaedic injuries,” she said.

Broadcaster NDTV reported three more dead from the stampede quoting an official of another hospital in the city.