West Bengal: Two dead, 14 injured in stampede at railway station in Howrah

Two people have died and 14 have been injured in a stampede at the Santragachhi railway station in West Bengal's Howrah district. 

The stampede broke out at about 6 pm Tuesday evening, the Railways said. The Railways added that the stampede was caused by a heavy rush of passengers on a footbridge. 

Witnesses said two trains had just arrived at the station and a third was about to arrive, causing the sudden rush of passengers. The witnesses reported massive panic among the passengers. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called for an investigation "as I feel that there has been negligence on the part of Railways". 

"... too many such tragedies are happening like this," she had tweeted earlier. "Safety of rail passengers must be taken care of at all times."  

The injured meanwhile have been rushed to hospital.

Banerjee also announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh would be paid to the family of the deceased, and Rs 1 lakh to each of the injured. 

The Railways meanwhile has issued helpline numbers.

The numbers are 0322-21072 (Kharagpur) and 0332-6295561 (Santragachi).