Two dead, 14 injured in stampede at West Bengal's Santragachhi junction

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At least  two people died while 14 others got injured in a stampede at a railway station in West Bengal on Tuesday. According to news agency ANI, the stampede occurred at 6 pm at Santragachhi junction near Howrah.

The Railways issued two helpline numbers - Kharagpur: 032221072, Santragacchi: 03326295561.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured in the stampede.

The incident occurred when an express train and two EMU locals arrived at the station at the same time and passengers rushed to the platforms to board the trains, South Eastern Railway spokesperson Sanjay Ghosh told news agency PTI.

The Nagercoil-Shalimar Express and two EMU locals arrived at the station at the same time, while Shalimar-Vishakhapatnam Express and Santragachi-Chennai Express were scheduled to arrive shortly.

The incident occurred between platform numbers two and three at Santragachi station of South Eastern Railway, about 10 km from Howrah station. A large number of passengers either deboarded or were waiting to board trains at the same time, leading to a rush on the foot overbridge.

While 11 injured persons were taken to Howrah General Hospital for treatment, three others were administered first aid at the station.

(With agency inputs)