REPORT: RAIN LED TO MAHA STAMPEDE

New Delhi: An inquiry report on the September 29 Elphinstone bridge stampede in Mumbai that killed 23 people has blamed heavy rain for the tragedy.

The Elphinstone bridge stampede here in which 23 lives were lost was triggered by heavy rains as also panic caused after people mistook the cries of a vendor losing grip of his flowers for the bridge collapsing, an inquiry report has said.

The vendor had shouted in Marathi phool padla which means flowers have fallen but people misunderstood it as pul

gir gaya or the bridge has collapsed, the report said.

The five-member inquiry panel, led by Western Railway’s (WR) chief safety officer S.K. Singla, submitted its report and recommendations to WR’s general manager Anil Kumar on Wednesday.

The probe said none of the witnesses supported the claim that the chaos was caused by a short circuit on the bridge.

WR’s chief PRO Ravinder Bhakar, told mediapersons here that “The stampede took place because of the unexpected heavy rain which forced the public outside the station to rush to the staircases which were already crowded.”

“Due to the incessant rain, the constant flow of the passengers further increased which resulted in overcrowding of the bridge,” he said.

The statements of as many as 30 injured passengers, local residents and the GRP and RPF personnel were recorded to reach the conclusion, Mr Bhakar said.