Disaster was inevitable, say Residents

Mumbai: The rush-hour stampede near Elphinstone Road station that killed 22 people, including a child, and seriously wounded more than 30 others, hasn’t come as a surprise to residents of the area. Rather, they expressed the view that it was a disaster waiting to happen.

They said that the bridge was always heavily crowded during peak hours, with the situation getting worse between 8 am and 11 am, and 4 pm and 8 pm. Archana Gaikar, who has been staying at the colony near the bridge for the past ten years, said, “Every day in the morning and evening hours, I see people struggling to get down and climb onto that bridge. Sometimes, a whole lot of people climb down together, causing people at the bottom of the bridge to wait that much longer to reach their respective platform. The bridge is very narrow.”

A few daily commuters pointed out that the bridge is covered on one side with tin sheets, blocking air flow and adding to the congestion. About the stampede, Gaikar recalled, “While people were gasping for air, I saw a few men breaking the tin sheets and jumping out.” The stampede occurred at around 10.30am when commuters started gathering on the bridge owing to the rain outside. Another resident, Sushila Yadav, observed, “Many dead bodies were removed once the crowd settled and many women did not have clothes on them while their bodies were getting pulled out.”

Railway authorities have ordered an inquiry and structural audit of all FOBs.