New Delhi railway station tragedy; confusing names 'Prayagraj Special' and 'Prayagraj Express' and announcement that triggered stampede

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has clarified the cause of the stampede at the New Delhi railway station in which 18 people died. Police say that another special train to Prayagraj, the 'Prayagraj Special', arrived at platform number 16, confusing passengers waiting for the special train on platform 14.

The confusion was caused by the announcement that the 'Prayagraj Special' would arrive at platform 16. This is because the Prayagraj Express had already arrived at platform 14. When the announcement came, the passengers who could not reach platform 14 rushed to platform 16, thinking that their train had reached platform 16. This led to the heavy stampede at the railway station. The police also said that three out of the four trains to Prayagraj were delayed, leading to a heavy rush.

Some eyewitnesses had also said that the last-minute platform change of the 'Prayagraj Special' train was the reason for the stampede and rush. However, the railways denied this. "No trains were cancelled. There was no change in the platform. All trains were running as per the schedule. The stampede and rush was caused by a passenger falling on the stairs," explained Southern Railway CPRO Himanshu Shekhar.