‘We saw people lying there, lifeless’, 42-year-old recalls Chorebagan pandal tragedy

A 42-year-old woman from Bhowanipore escaped serious injury during the stampede at Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja on Saturday evening after she fell but managed to get back on her feet immediately.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, had visited the pandal with six family members. Two of them were injured.

“There was an announcement in Bengali that I could not understand, so I asked a fellow visitor, who told me they were asking everyone to leave. I tried to get out but fell down. I managed to get up immediately and exit the pandal,” she recounted.

“While we were inside, we felt a push as people tried to move out. I was close to the exit and managed to escape. Those farther away were affected much more. They fell, and people kept falling and stepping over them,” she said.

“There were seven of us, the eldest being my elder brother, who is 54. He and my sister fell during the chaos. At least five people fell on my brother before another family member pulled him out. My sister managed to sit up but could not get back on her feet without help,” she said.

“As we were leaving, we saw people lying on the ground and realised they were not alive,” she said.

“Those who had reached safety tried to help others, but there were far too many people needing assistance. We wanted to help, too, but our priority was to get our family members to safety. It was traumatic to see people lying helpless. Those who managed to keep their balance and hold on to something escaped. It was much harder for those farther from the exit, she added.

“Since two of our family members were injured, we drove to SSKM Hospital, which is close to our home. We received prompt medical attention. Around 1am, we were told that our family members would be shifted to Apollo Hospital,”she said.

“We had waited nearly two hours to enter the pandal. Anyone accustomed to pandal-hopping would know that two hours is not a long wait,” she said.

“But there should have been safety precautions. For me, the language was a barrier to understanding the announcements. I had to ask others what they meant. There should also have been more volunteers,” she said.