Elphinstone Road stampede: Death toll rises to 23 after patient succumbs to injuries at KEM Hospital

The death toll in the Elphinstone Road-Parel bridge stampede rose to 23 on Saturday after one person succumbed to injuries at KEM Hospital, as per media reports.

Elphinstone stampede: Death toll increases to 23 as an injured person succumbs to injuries. #Mumbai

— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017

The dean of the hospital, Avinash Supe, said the deceased was identified as Satyendrakumar Kanojia who was in his late forties. “The patient was put on ventilator as soon as he was admitted to the hospital. We tried to save him but he succumbed to internal injuries,” the dean told PTI.

The body would be handed over to his relatives after completion of the routine procedures, he said. 

The rise in the death toll comes as a meeting with senior rail officials was underway at the Western Railways headquarters in Churchgate. In the meeting, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced that additional escalators would be constructed at all railway stations with high traffic.

Addn'l escalators sanctioned at crowded Mumbai suburban stations & thereafter for all high traffic stations: P.Goyal at meet on rail safety pic.twitter.com/j1H4snq16n

— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017

On Friday, as per a previous Firstpost article, dozens of commuters were injured after a stampede ensued on a foot-over bridge during the early morning rush at Elphinstone Road station. The tragedy took place amid rain in the city when the foot-over bridge was heavily crowded, a police official said.

Police suspect a short-circuit with a loud sound near the foot-over bridge led to panic, which in turn spread panic among people, resulting in the stampede. Railway officials, police and fire brigade reached the site to carry out rescue operations.

“There is usually a huge rush at the station everyday, but because of the rains people wanted shelter and there was a sudden huge rush at the bridge. In no time, People soon started falling over each other like dominoes. The incident happened at 10.45 am,” Miitesh Jethva, an eyewitness, told Firstpost.

According to PTI , bodies of 17 of the 22 people killed in the stampede were handed over to their relatives, according to hospital authorities. The people injured during the stampede were immediately rushed to the nearby KEM hospital with the help of RPF officials.

Out of the 39 injured, two are in a critical condition, with one of them being kept on a ventilator at the KEM hospital in Parel.

With inputs from PTI