In Uttar Pradesh, 36 pilgrims, including 28 women, were killed and about 25 others injured in an incident of stampede at the Allahabad Railway Junction yesterday evening. Twenty bodies have been identified so far.

After visiting the accident site at platform number six of the railway station and the hospitals, our Correspondent reports that 25 pilgrims, some of them in critical condition, have been admitted to different hospitals. Eye witnesses told our Correspondent that the incident happened when a large number of Kumbh Mela pilgrims , were trying to reach platform number 6, while coming down from the Foot Over Bridge. The number of casualties may increase as some of the injured are in a critical condition. A very large number of people from across the country had gathered at Allahabad yesterday to take a holy dip at the Sangam on the pious occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

The Railway have opened help line numbers at Allahabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mughalsarai, Jhansi, Banda, Agra, and Delhi railway stations to provide information about victims. Allahabad help line numbers are 05322408149 and 05322408128. The movement trains at Allahabad railway station is normal. Heavy police deployment has been made to control the mob at railway station. Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy. The Prime Minister has instructed the Railway Ministry to provide all possible assistance and has also directed Central government departments to extend all possible help in the relief operations.