A tragic stampede at a Mumbai rail station is putting new focus on the state of rail infrastructure in India.
The BBC reports: "A stampede on a footbridge at a Mumbai railway station has left 22 people dead and injured more than 30, Indian officials report."
The stampede occurred during the morning rush hour on Friday, September 29 at the Prabhadevi station, formerly called Elphinstone Road.
"It was triggered by overcrowding and people seeking shelter from monsoon rains," adds the BBC. "'The incident occurred as heavy rains lashed Mumbai and passengers took refuge on the foot overbridge. People at the front slipped and the huge crowd toppled over, leading to the stampede,' Indian Railways spokesman Ravindra Bhakar told AFP news agency."
Hari Kumar also reports on the tragedy for the New York Times, adding some context of the incredible volumes of traffic that travel on the Mumbai regional rail network: "Every day, about seven and a half million commuters use the sprawling train network in Mumbai and its surrounding suburbs. Nearly 3,000 people die on the network every year, with accidents killing more than 2,100 so far in 2017."
FULL STORY: Mumbai railway station stampede kills 22 amid heavy rain
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
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