In the Indian capital New Delhi on Saturday at least eighteen people were killed and eleven injured by drum at a train station, when people hurried to get trains to the largest religious meeting in the world.
Most probably died due to oxygen deficiency or by internal injuries, explained the medical chief of a hospital in New Delhi. An autopsy must bring more clarity. Most victims were women and children.
The authorities have announced an investigation into the cause of the incident. According to a witness, a platform change was announced, causing many people to bump into the masses and people fell off the stairs. The Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
Khumb mela
The Khumb Mela meeting, which lasts from 13 to 26 February, attracts tens of millions of Hindus every twelve years to the northern city of Prayagraj (Allahabad). This year, more than 400 million believers have taken a ritual pray at the confluence of the Holy Rivers Ganges and Yamuna.
In India there are regular deaths at religious festivals where large crowds come together. In 1954, more than 400 people were killed in one day, they were trampled or drowned. In 2013, the festival was marred by the death of 36 people during a large crowd at Prayagraj’s train station.