Heavy rains caused Mumbai's Elphinstone bridge stampede: Railway report

Heavy rains and large number of people on Elphinstone railway bridge was the main cause of September 29 stampede in Mumbai that killed 23 people, according to the probe report submitted by railway Wednesday.

The panel constituted to inquire into the incident recorded statements of 30 commuters who were injured in the incident and examined video footage of the incident. The report has been submitted to Anil Kumar, GM Western Railway.

"Cause of mishap was heavy rains which forced people to rush to the staircase even as it was jammed. Constant flow of passengers arriving on the station compounded the problem," said the report.

Also, the inquiry has said that none of the witnesses supported the claim of short circuit on the bridge that let to the chaos.

It further said that people with heavy luggage lost balance because of which the stampede may have occurred.

The panel has recommended preventing people from carrying heavy luggage during the peak hours.

Other recommendations include relocation of elevated booking to widen the staircase. The elevated booking office is adjacent to the staircase where the stampede occurred.

The panel also called for providing an additional staircase.

Among the major suggestions to avoid any such situation in the future are restricting the movement of commuters, mainly vendors, carrying baskets stuffed with goods during peak hours.