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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday expressed grief over the demise of people in the "tragic incident" at New Delhi railway station, where 18 people, including three children, were killed. He said that such incidents are unfortunate but it happens while adding that an investigation into the mishap was underway to prevent them from happening in the future.
"I am aware of the tragic incident. I pray to God for those who have passed away and pray that their soul rests in peace. I pray for the families of the deceased so that they get the strength to bear such a loss. The incident is unfortunate, lekin ghatna to ghat jaati hai (but it happens). However, an investigation into the incident is underway so that such an incident does not happen again," the Chief Minister told reporters. Speaking on the Municipal Corporation election results in Chhattisgarh, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the majority of seats, including all 10 mayoral posts, Sai said, "We have fulfilled the promises we made in our manifesto for 2023 assembly elections, which we call ' Modi Ki Guarantee'. That is the reason why we secured good results in the elections... For the development of urban areas, we have the Atal Vishwas Patra, and we will fulfil that 100% as well." The stampede occurred around 10 pm when thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, causing severe overcrowding at the station. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway, KPS Malhotra, the incident occurred when a large number of passengers gathered on platform no. 14, where the Prayagraj Express was stationed. Additionally, delays in the departures of the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani led to further congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14. An eyewitness described the chaos, stating that the crowd came from both sides after an announcement about a train platform change, leading to the stampede. Another eyewitness recounted the horror, saying that the crowd was beyond control. People from the administration and even NDRF personnel were there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it was impossible to manage them. Most of the bodies of the deceased brought to the national capital's Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital following the stampede at the New Delhi Railway station had injuries on their chest and abdomen areas, with asphyxia being the likely cause of death, according to RML hospital sources. Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital, Dr Ajay Shukla, said, "We received five bodies, one male aged 25 years and four females - three in their thirties and one aged 70 years... Four bodies have been handed over to their families..." Sources at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain Hospital (LNJP) indicated that a majority of the victims who sustained injuries in the Saturday night stampede suffered lower limb injuries while others suffered from bone injuries. A compensation of Rs 10 lakh was announced by the Indian Railways for the families of the deceased who lost their lives in the tragic incident. Additionally, the Indian Railways announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh for those seriously injured in the incident and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries. (ANI)
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