The death toll in a stampede at the main railway station in India's capital New Delhi has risen to at least 18.
The stampede occurred at about 8 p.m. (1430 GMT) on Saturday on two platforms where passengers were waiting to board trains to Prayagraj city, where the Maha Kumbh is taking place, media reports.
The stampede occurred at about 8 p.m. (1430 GMT) on Saturday on two platforms where passengers were waiting to board trains to Prayagraj city, where the Maha Kumbh is taking place, media reports.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Well, at the hospital right now, the security has been beefed up, barricading has been done
00:05outside the gate.
00:06Media is not being allowed to go in to meet the victims or the families of the victims.
00:11At the mortuary, what's happening is that the families are waiting to collect the mortal
00:15remains of their loved ones who they lost in this stampede.
00:19Inside the hospital, especially the orthopedic department, most of the patients are there
00:24because they have had serious injuries like fractures because it was when one person fell
00:30and on top of that, a number of people fell.
00:32So that person who was at the bottom couldn't really come out of that, you know, that crowd.
00:37So those are the people who've got severely injured.
00:39So those patients are being treated here.
00:42At the moment, an investigation has been ordered into why and what created the stampede at
00:48the station.
00:49The police is looking at all the CCTV footage to get to the bottom of this.
00:54Compensation has been announced for these families.
00:57So all other steps are being taken.
00:59But it is very important that the administration learn some lessons from here because this
01:04is the second time a stampede is taking place where one happened at Mahakum in Prayagraj
01:10where the people were gathering for a holy dip and one again at the station where people
01:15were going to Prayagraj for the holy dip.
01:18So it's important that lots of people are going to go on the 26th of Feb also, which
01:22is an auspicious day.
01:24The administration has to really buckle up to be able to manage the crowd.
01:28It is a very big festival and this time marketing and you know, it has become more popular because
01:34of social media.
01:35So the number of people who are going are much higher than what this festival has seen
01:40previously in the previous years.
01:42Right now, measures are being taken in order to keep the crowd moving at the Mahakum with
01:47the site where the holy dip is taken, the Ghat, that's where the crowd is being managed
01:54in the sense one lot when it completes its rituals, they are moved out and then the second
02:00lot is allowed.
02:01So that kind of crowd management is happening.
02:03The government is also trying to send people away from the festival who have taken their
02:08holy dip, who have completed the rituals.
02:10They are being urged to leave the city because the crowd that is landing into Prayagraj is
02:15much higher than what the city can actually hold.
02:19And similarly for the station, the capacity is much higher than what the station can hold.
02:25So it is important now that crowd management is something that the government will have
02:29to take care of.