Many survivors of Delhi stampede waiting for missing family members or lost belongings

Many survivors of Delhi stampede waiting for missing family members or lost belongingsAccording to the media reports, a day after a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station left two people dead and several injured, many survivors were Monday still waiting at the station, looking for missing family members or lost belongings.

With tears in her eyes, 27-year-old Shikha Dutta said, "I lost my phone somewhere, I can't find my husband. I am waiting here for him."

Rakesh Kumar, a daily wage worker from Patna, sat dazed outside the station.

Kumar said, "In this panic, I lost my luggage, somebody even stole my wallet. From my tickets to my phone with all the numbers in it... It's all gone. Who should I go for help now?"

It has been reported that the stampede took place Sunday when two Bihar-bound trains, New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and New Delhi-Muzaffarpur Sapt Kranti Express, were scheduled to depart at 2.40 p. m. and 2.45 p. m.

Vikramshila Express was scheduled to leave from platform 12 and Sapt Kranti from platform 13, but a last minute swap led to the stampede in which a 35-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy were killed.

The railway ministry should be answerable, said Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday.

Dikshit told reporters, "The railway ministry has to see through it as to what went wrong at the station and how could it be prevented later."

Another angry survivor wanted to know why some trains were not being diverted to the Anand Vihar station that had been ready for five months to reduce the passenger load.

53- year-old Babulal Mishra, who also lost his luggage and money, said "Only seven regular trains and few summer specials go from Anand Vihar station. When will the government start acting fast to avoid such untimely deaths? The minister (Mamata Banerjee) is sitting in Kolkata and claiming to give compensation... which will reach when? She should come and see what we went through. How we survived...." (With Inputs from Agencies)