9 Injured in Stampede at Mumbai Bandra Railway Terminus Owing to Diwali Rush

At least nine people were injured in a stampede at Bandra Terminus Railway station in Mumbai, early on Sunday morning. The incident happened at around 3am as passengers gathered on platform number 1 of the railway station for for Train No. 22921, Bandra-Gorakhpur Express. The long distance train was scheduled to depart at 5:10 a.m but passengers eager to grab a seat at started to assemble there on the platform, as early as 2 am onwards. The injured were rushed to Bhabha Hospital.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the overwhelming rush was owing to the festive season, many people were going back to their native places during this Diwali break.

"Around 2:30 am, the train was brought to the platform from the yard. As the train was about to arrive at the platform, two passengers tried to board the train. They both suffered injuries. Following this, the railway authorities immediately got the ambulance and shifted the injured passengers to Bhabha Hospital”, said Western Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Vineet Abhishek.

Several videos of the stampede went viral on social media, some showing the chaos, some also depicted the moments of horror soon after the stampede as people struggled to survive. One particular video showed a police officer carrying a passenger on his shoulder, moments after the incident. Another video showed people in blood stained cloths, lying on the floor of the platform and groaning in pain.

The incident was a grim reminder of the deadly stampede on the foot overbridge connecting Elphinstone Road Station and Parel Suburban Station in Mumbai on 29th September, leading to 23 deaths and several injuries.