Porter Describes Terrifying Scene
A porter described the chaotic scene, stating that it was terrifying, with panic and confusion everywhere. He said, “I’ve been working as a porter since 1981, but I’ve never seen a crowd like this before. The Prayagraj Special was scheduled to depart from platform 12, but it was shifted to platform 16. When the crowd waiting on platform 12 and the crowd outside tried to reach platform 16, people started colliding and falling on the escalators and stairs. Many people gathered there to try and control the crowd.”‘We Lifted 15 Bodies…People Trapped on Bridges and Escalators’
The porter continued, “We lifted 15 bodies and put them in ambulances. There were only shoes and clothes left on the platform. When the crowd waiting on platform 12 and the crowd from outside tried to reach platform 16, people started colliding and falling on the escalators and stairs. People got trapped on the bridges and escalators. We called the police and fire brigade, and 3-4 ambulances arrived and took people to the hospital.”Sudden Announcement of Platform Change
Poonam Devi, a relative of a victim who arrived at the LNJP Hospital mortuary to collect the body, stated that a sudden announcement was made that the train would arrive at platform 14. People started running, causing the stampede. She said she received information that the body was kept there, so she came to collect it. They were travelling to Chhapra, Bihar. She stated she had no information about her train ticket or which train she was supposed to board.Identification of Deceased
—Aha Devi, wife of Ravindra Nath, resident of Buxar, Bihar, age 79—Pinki Devi, wife of Upendra Sharma, resident of Sangam Vihar, Delhi, age 41
—Sheela Devi, wife of Umesh Giri, resident of Sarita Vihar, Delhi, age 50
—Vyom, son of Dharamvir, resident of Bawana, Delhi, age 25
—Poonam Devi, wife of Meghnath, resident of Saran, Bihar, age 40
—Lalita Devi, wife of Santosh, resident of Parna, Bihar, age 35
—Suruchi, daughter of Manoj Shah, resident of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, age 11
—Krishna Devi, wife of Vijay Shah, resident of Samastipur, Bihar, age 40
—Vijay Sah, son of Ram Sarup Sah, resident of Samastipur, Bihar, age 15
—Niraj, son of Indrajit Paswan, resident of Vaishali, Bihar, age 12
—Shanti Devi, wife of Raj Kumar Manjhi, resident of Nawada, Bihar, age 40
—Pooja Kumari, daughter of Raj Kumar Manjhi, resident of Nawada, Bihar, age 8
—Sangita Malik, wife of Mohit Malik, resident of Bhiwani, Haryana, age 34
—Poonam, wife of Virendra Singh, resident of Mahavir Enclave, age 34
—Mamta Jha, wife of Vipin Jha, resident of Nangloi, Delhi, age 40
—Riya Singh, daughter of Opil Singh, resident of Sagarpur, Delhi, age 7
—Baby Kumari, daughter of Prabhu Sah, resident of Bijwasan, Delhi, age 24
—Manoj, son of Panchdev Kushwaha, resident of Nangloi, Delhi, age 47
