KOLKATA: At least two persons were killed and 14, including two women, were injured in a stampede at foot overbridge at Santragachi railway station in West Bengal's Howrah. The stampede occurred around 6 pm when the commuters hurriedly tried to cross the foot overbridge between two platforms following an announcement of two trains coming simultaneously on two adjacent tracks. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced Rs. 5 lakh compensation to the kin of dead and Rs. 1 lakh to each of the injured.

The incident occurred between platform numbers two and three at Santragachi station, about 10 km from Howrah station, when an express train and two EMU locals arrived at the station at the same time. The Nagercoil-Shalimar Express and two EMU locals arrived at the station at the same time, while Shalimar-Vishakhapatnam Express and Santragachi-Chennai Express were scheduled to arrive shortly, South Eastern Railway spokesman Sanjay Ghosh was quoted by PTI as saying.

A large number of passengers either deboarded or were waiting to board trains at the same time, leading to a rush on the foot overbridge. Several express trains stop at the station, apart from numerous EMU locals of SER. Thousands of people use the station everyday since it is easier to travel to and from south and central Kolkata from Santragachi.