SURAT - A stampede at Surat Railway Station on Diwali left one person dead and five unconscious. The incident occurred as passengers rushed to board trains to travel to their villages for the Diwali holidays. The chaos stemmed from a lack of proper arrangements at the station, leading to overcrowding and pushing.
The deceased, Vijay Kumar, was among the passengers who fainted due to the crowd and was declared dead upon reaching the hospital. Five other passengers were also taken to the hospital for treatment.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of passengers at Surat Railway Station, particularly during the festive season when passenger traffic increases significantly. The lack of proper arrangements and the failure of railway authorities to control the crowd have been criticized.
Several passengers missed their trains due to the chaos at the station. Santosh Kumar, a passenger who missed his train to Chhapra Bihar, said, "I came to the station at 7 o'clock in the morning, but it was difficult to even stand here. There was no space, and people were climbing over each other. I myself fell and lost my luggage. I also missed my train."
Another passenger, Vijay Kumar, expressed his grief over the death of his nephew in the stampede. He said, "My nephew was also going to Chhapra Bihar. He was sitting here since 7 o'clock in the morning. There was a lot of crowd, and there was no place to stand. He missed his train because of the chaos, and I couldn't go with him because I had to take care of his luggage."
The incident has highlighted the need for better crowd management and safety measures at Surat Railway Station, especially during peak seasons like Diwali. The railway authorities must take immediate action to prevent such incidents from happening again.
