Sat Aug 02 06:48:04 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Headload Mishap Triggered Deadly New Delhi Railway Stampede, Minister Says**
**New Delhi, August 2, 2025** – A falling headload carried by a passenger triggered the fatal stampede at the New Delhi railway station on February 15, 2025, which claimed the lives of 18 people, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian Parliament) on Friday, August 1, 2025.
The tragedy occurred as a large crowd of passengers attempted to board trains for the Mahakumbh festival. A high-level inquiry committee was formed to investigate the incident and submitted a report for consideration. Findings revealed that a gradual increase in passenger density on Foot Over Bridge (FOB) 3 occurred after 8:15 pm. Many passengers were carrying bulky headloads, which impeded smooth movement across the bridge.
According to the Minister’s written reply, the falling headload caused passengers to trip on the stairs of Platform 14/15 at 8:48 pm, leading to a cascading effect where passengers fell on one another.
In addition to the 18 fatalities, 15 individuals sustained injuries. The Railway Ministry has disbursed ex-gratia payments, with Rs 10 lakh provided to the families of each deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh to those grievously injured, and Rs 1 lakh to those with other injuries. A total of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their families.
Minister Vaishnaw also outlined measures taken to manage heavy passenger traffic at stations, including creating holding areas, implementing access control for confirmed ticket holders at 73 stations, widening foot overbridges, installing CCTV cameras, and developing war rooms at major stations.
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