A crush at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night left at least 18 people dead and 10 others injured after thousands of passengers crowded the station to board delayed trains.

Officials confirmed that four of the deceased were children, while 10 were women.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on X (formerly Twitter), stating his thoughts were “with all those who have lost their loved ones.”

Crowd crushes remain a recurring tragedy in India, particularly at religious festivals, public events, and transit hubs.

This incident follows another deadly stampede at the Kumbh Mela festival in northern India just weeks earlier, where 30 people lost their lives during a pre-dawn rush to bathe in sacred river waters.

Witnesses told BBC Hindi that a “huge crowd” had gathered at the station, with many pilgrims returning from the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Additionally, hundreds of other travelers were waiting for trains to various destinations, exacerbating the congestion.

According to railway officials, two incoming trains were delayed, while the Prayagraj Express, still waiting to depart, contributed to the gridlock.

• Ruby Devi, a passenger, described the crowd as so dense that she couldn’t enter the building.
• Umesh Giri, whose wife Shilam Devi died in the crush, called the scene “uncontrollable.”
• Dharmendra Singh, another traveler, told PTI news agency that the station was more crowded than he had ever seen before.

“In front of me, six or seven women were taken away on stretchers,” Singh recalled.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the causes of the stampede.

KPS Malhotra, deputy commissioner of police (railways), linked the tragedy to train delays, stating:

“This happened due to a delay in two trains arriving and more people gathering at the station.”

The incident has sparked political criticism, with opposition leaders accusing the government of poor planning.

Rahul Gandhi, a leading opposition figure, criticized the lack of preparedness, posting on X:

“Considering the large number of devotees going to Prayagraj, better arrangements should have been made at the station.”

As India grapples with another deadly crowd disaster, questions remain over railway infrastructure and crowd management at high-risk transit points.