The Hindu : National : 18 killed in Mumbai slum stampede

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Saturday, Jul 30, 2005

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National

18 killed in Mumbai slum stampede

Prachi Pinglay

Rumours of a tsunami strike led to the incident at Nehru Nagar

MUMBAI: In the crammed lanes of Nehrunagar slum, people are engaged in a discussion on what exactly happened on Thursday night that left 18 persons dead and around 20 injured. After a rumour that a tsunami was going to hit Mumbai, the panic-stricken residents started fleeing at around 10 p.m. In the ensuing stampede, many were killed.

The slum is close to the sea. The residents had barely recovered from the torrential rains on Tuesday and Wednesday when the slum was flooded. Jharna, a frail woman in her 50s, said: "Suddenly, people started running. I could not run, as my legs are not good. I thought it does not matter how much we run. The water will catch up anyway. I just kept waiting in my house and saw people run and fall over each other."

The bodies were taken to Cooper Hospital where 18 were declared dead. Most of them were women and children. A majority of people of the slum hail from South India, primarily from Tamil Nadu. Many lost their relatives in the December 26 tsunami in their hometowns and villages and were susceptible to the rumour.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta said that 18 persons died in the stampede. "We have detained around 10 persons for questioning on the rumour. The investigations are going on." Police deployed vans to ward off rumours in several areas of Mumbai.

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