Allahabad stampede: At least 36 dead, many injured

According to TV reports a stampede at the Allahabad railway station triggered by the collapse of a railing of an overbridge has led to many people getting injured and deaths. CNN-IBN reports that at least 36 people were killed and 30 were injured in the incident. [caption id=“attachment_620234” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Chaos at the Allahabad Railway station after the stampede. PTI[/caption] Lakhs of people were on their way back from Allahabad after the Maha Kumbh Mela. NDTV reports that there is only one doctor at the station and that relatives are complaining that authorities reacted to the situation only two hours after the collapse. The police are yet to confirm that extent of damage, or release more numbers on those injured or dead. District officials said that a cane charge-prompted stampede preceded the incident at 7.15 p.m. on platform number 6 of the railway station in the city which hosted over three crore devotees at the Kumbh Mela during the day. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced a committee which will probe the incident. “We will investigate whether guidelines for managing the crowd was followed on the big day of Mauni Amavasya Snaan,” said the state government in a statement. It also added that clear directions were given to local authorities that they should ensure that large number of people do not gather at one place. According to the initial reports, over two lakh people were present at the railway station when the stampede took place. With inputs from Agencies