Elphinstone Stampede: Western Railway inquiry report blames heavy rain for tragedy

An inquiry report on the September 29 Elphinstone bridge stampede in Mumbai that killed 23 people has blamed heavy rain for the tragedy, officials said on Wednesday.

The panel, headed by the Western Railway chief security officer, submitted its report to WR General Manager Anil Kumar today after recording statements of 30 commuters who were injured.
It has also examined video footage of the incident, officials said.

According to the report, the stampede was caused by heavy rains which forced people outside at the ticket counters to rush to the already jammed staircase for cover.
It said the constant flow of passengers arriving at the station compounded the problem.

It has come in the inquiry that incident happened due to rumors of bridge collapse: Western Rly CPRO on inquiry report #ElphinstoneStampede pic.twitter.com/XBeEpaB3Kb

— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2017

The report said people with heavy luggage lost their balance because of which the stampede may have occurred.
The probe also said none of the witnesses supported the claim of a short circuit on the bridge leading to the chaos.
The probe panel has recommended that passengers be prevented from carrying heavy luggage during peak hours.

The movement of commuters, mainly vendors, carrying …read more