Passengers got confused between 'Prayagraj Express, Prayagraj Special', causing stampede: Sources

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has found in its initial investigation the deadly stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station happened as passengers got confused between 'Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special', and thought they might miss their train, police sources said on Sunday.

According to the preliminary investigation, the confusion happened because of the announcement of the trains having same initial name 'Prayagraj', said the sources.

The announcement of the 'Prayagraj Special' arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion among the waiting passengers because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14.

People who were reaching Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 and they rushed towards it, leading to the stampede, the sources said.

Additionally, there were four trains heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing an unexpected overcrowding, said the police source.

A witness also told PTI, "There was confusion among the passengers regarding the train names and the change of platforms of the trains. Which ultimately led to the tragedy."

At least 18 people were killed in the stampede last Saturday evening.