Mother died before my eyes: Survivors recount horror of Kolkata pandal stampede

Sonu Pal watched his mother die in a Durga Puja pandal stampede. The rain-hit crush killed 19 people and injured about 25 others.

In Short

• 25-year-old man survives Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede
• His mother, however, was among the 19 people who died
• 'I too might not have survived,' says the grieving man

A 25-year-old man survived the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday, October 17, evening but lost his mother in the tragedy.

Still in shock, Sonu Pal recalled the horror as a sudden downpour prompted people gathered at the pandal entrance to push their way inside to escape the rain.

His mother was among the 19 people who died in the stampede, which also left around 25 others injured. "My mother died before my eyes; I too might not have survived," he said.

"It was raining outside, and nobody wanted to step outside. People who were standing at the entrance to escape the rain kept pushing to get in," Pal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The grieving man said the crowd pressure soon became overwhelming. "Unable to handle the pressure, everybody inside fell on one another," he recounted.

He said he, too, was caught in the pile-up. "I was also trapped under the crowd. I somehow managed to steady myself and went to my mother, but she was dead," Pal said.

The incident took place around 7.40 pm in the Girish Park police station area. All the injured were taken to Medical College and Hospital, the police said.

Relatives of the stampede victims also questioned who would take responsibility for the deaths. Speaking to reporters, the family members said they had been asked to come on Sunday morning at 10 to collect the bodies.

"We will collect the body, but who will take the responsibility? Where were the police and the administration?" asked Sunny, a neighbour of one of the people who died in the incident.

- Ends
(With inputs from PTI)