Mumbai station stampede: 'Phul gir gaya' heard as 'pul gir gaya' added to panic
Trains were briefly halted and a formal enquiry was ordered into the tragedy
(Web Desk/AFP) – A survivor’s account on Indian railways station stampede has revealed that a flower vendor shouting ‘phool gir gaya’ was misheard by the commuters as ‘pul (bridge) gir gaya’ which created the panic, hindustantimes.com reported on Wednesday.
19-year-old girl named Shilpa Vishwakarma who sustained injuries to her arms and legs was approached by the Railways Protection Force to record her statement.
She reported that wrongly interpreted information created panic and added to the chaos at the station that claimed lives and left scores wounded in the ensuing stampede.
Dozens of people took shelter on the bridge from a sudden downpour and the deadly crush started as they emerged all at once, an Indian Railways spokesman said.
Trains were briefly halted and a formal enquiry was ordered into the tragedy, Bhakar added.
The stampede broke out at 10:30 am (0500 GMT) on September 29 near a ticket window on the bridge that connects the Elphinstone and Parel stations in south Mumbai.
