Mumbai stampede triggered by people mishearing 'phool gir gaya' as 'pul gir gaya'?
The Elphinstone Road Station stampede that killed 23 people and injured over 35 may have been triggered by people mishearing a flower seller shouting "phool gir gaya" (flowers have fallen) as "pul gir gaya" (the bridge has collapsed).
Chinese whisper is real.
And it's dangerous!
A survivor of the Mumbai's Elphinstone Road Station stampede that killed 23 people and left over 35 people injured on September 29 told Dadar Police that the tragedy may have been triggered by people mishearing a flower vendor screaming "phool gir gaya" which translates to "flowers have fallen" as "pul gir gaya" that translates to "the brige has collapsed".
The flower vendor shouted "phool gir gaya" when the flowers he was carrying fell under the bridge but in that tense situation and heavy downpour, people stuck on the Foot over Bridge (FoB) heard it as someone shouting the bridge has collapsed.
A tragic example of how Chinese whisper works."Dusshera was the next day, hence a lot of flower vendors were supplying to the flower market that's just a few minutes away from the Elphistone station. A vendor who was caught in the crowd shouted as the flowers he was carrying fell under the FoB. But by the time the information reached to those standing on the FoB, it was construed as people screaming about the bridge collapsing. This may have led to more push and rush. A victim has revealed this. We are investigating further," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Dadar) Sunil Deshmukh told India Today.
Dadar Police is recording statements of people who were present at the time of the tragedy. The stampede has not been covered in the CCTV footage. But the footage shows a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable present near the bridge. He was trying to make his way through the crowd but found it difficult. The stampede happened in the span of nine minutes. Nine minutes of chaos -- 10:26 AM to 10:35 AM -- took 29 lives and injured over 35. The probe confirmed that the heavy rainfall led to commuters staying put at the end of the FoB, but as more trains reached the platforms, crowds increased and people started to push from behind. Hearing people shouting "pul gir gaya" and a girl falling on the bridge leading to a cascading effect may have aided the stampede, police say.
WATCH VIDEO | Elphinstone stampede: Phool gir gaya remark misheard as pul gir gaya a possible trigger?