22 Dead and 35 Injured in Stampede at Elphinstone Station in Mumbai

The places in Mumbai are always crowded with people. From trains, malls, streets and to foot-over bridges, every place is crowded. This crowd which is a peculiar characteristic of Mumbai took life of many on 29th of September, 2017.The stampede took place at around 10.30 am on 29th of September, 2017 on the bridge which is between Parel and Elphinstone Road station. This bridge is very narrow and as the crowd started rushing many got crushed in it. Some people tried to escape the crowd by jumping off the bridge. However, 22 people got killed and around 35 were injured as they were unable to bear the weight of bodies falling on them as well as due to suffocation.Some individuals who witnessed this incident said that the cause of this tragedy was delay in the arrival of trains. Four trains arrived at the same time which caused crowd to get accumulated on the bridge. The stampede was preceded by rains so some people were also waiting for rains to stop. And at the same time as the steps had become wet and slippery because of rain water, it caused some people to slip from the bridge making it difficult for others to escape the crowd.It is a sad co-incident that this tragedy took place a day before the launch of new railway services. In this articleWhat led to people rush in one direction?Why is bridge between Parel and Elphinstone station always crowded?Which places in Mumbai are Prone to the Risk of Stampede? Tips for Protecting Children from StampedeWhat led to people rush in one direction?Some eye witnesses say that before this tragedy took place, a sound of short-circuit could be heard due to which people got scared. A rumour got spread with lightning speed amongst the people that bridge is going to collapse. So, people started rushing in one direction to get-off the bridge in panic causing the stampede to happen. Many innocent lives got lost in this tragedy.Why is bridge between Parel and Elphinstone station always crowded?There are many offices and industrial estates around Parel and Elphinstone area. Lot of people commute everyday from places which are far away from these stations. This crowd attracts lot of street-vendors and hawkers which make the place even more crowded.Local residents and everyday commuters are blaming government for this tragedy. According to them, no proper arrangements are made for managing the crowd near railway stations. The bridge where the tragedy took place is very old and there are not alternate bridges which people can use in order to avoid the crowd.Which places in Mumbai are Prone to the Risk of Stampede? Following is the list of crowded places in Mumbai which attract a lot of crowd and are prone to stampede or crowd crush.CST StationChurchgate StationDadar StationDadar West MarketDadar Phool MarketBandra StationKurla StationAndheri StationKalyan StationNalasopara StationJuhu Beach during Ganesh VisarjanGirgaum Chowpaty during Ganesh VisarjanCrowford MarketBhendi BazarMohammad Ali RoadTips for Protecting Children from StampedeIf children get caught in stampede, it will be very difficult for them to come out of it. Therefore, parents must take following measures to prevent children from getting caught in stampede or crowd crush.Do not travel during rush hours with your children.Wait for the crowd to subside if you have to climb a bridge with your child.Do not panic and scream if you hear certain sound when you are in the middle of crowd.Opt for an alternate modes of transport which are less crowded if you have to travel with your children.If you are not 100% sure of the news, do not spread the rumour in crowded places.Moving in crowd with small children is very risky. So, while taking children to certain places, parents must find out the times when these places are crowd free and plan their visit accordingly to be safe. How did stampede take place on September 29, 2017 near Elphinstone station in Mumbai? What are the ways to survive and escape a stampede? How to protect children in a stampede? Discuss here.