'Carried bodies on handcarts', porters recall stampede horror at New Delhi Railway Station
New Delhi: With the death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbing to 18 on Sunday, porters recounted their harrowing experience of carrying bodies on handcarts amid the chaos.
Describing the situation, Krishna Kumar Jogi, a porter at the station, said the crowd swelled when a train bound for Prayagraj arrived.
"A massive crowd gathered on the (footover) bridge. People were packed so tightly that many suffocated. Around 10-15 people lost their lives right there," he claimed.
"I witnessed the entire incident. We carried dead bodies from platform numbers 14 and 15 to the ambulance," he added.
Children and women were among those crushed in the crowd, struggling to breathe amid the suffocation, he said.
Citing the cause of the stampede, Northern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhyay said on Sunday, "Some people who were coming down from the footover bridge towards platform numbers 14 and 15 using stairs slipped and fell on others."
Recalling the distressing scene, Balram, a porter, said, "We carried dead bodies on handcarts, the same ones we use for luggage. In my 15 years as a porter, I have never seen such a massive crowd."
Another porter described how there was a swell in crowd around 9:30 pm on Saturday when the Prayagraj-bound train was at the platform.
"People's shoes, slippers, and other belongings were scattered everywhere. We pulled out many children and elderly individuals from the chaos," he said.
Officials said the stampede was triggered by an overwhelming number of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh is underway, from platform numbers 14 and 15.
The death toll has risen to 18, with more than a dozen others injured.
The Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in the stampede. Those seriously injured will get Rs 2.5 lakh and those with minor injuries 1 lakh, the Railways said.
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Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
