Post-mortem findings in the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede in Kolkata have identified traumatic asphyxia, fatal chest injuries and a severe head injury as the causes of death among the 19 people killed in the incident, according to a report by Sanmarg.
The report said 11 victims died after extreme pressure on their chests restricted their ability to breathe. The condition, known medically as traumatic asphyxia, can occur when a person is trapped in a tightly packed crowd and sustained pressure prevents normal respiration.
Seven other victims reportedly died after suffering fractured ribs that caused severe damage to their lungs. One more person died from a serious head injury, with internal bleeding in the brain and injuries to the skull recorded during the examination.
The findings provide a medical account of how the crowd disaster became fatal for different victims. In 11 cases, the immediate cause was reported to be the inability to breathe under crowd pressure. In seven cases, the injuries to the ribs and lungs were described as fatal, while the remaining death was linked to head trauma and internal bleeding.
According to the report, post-mortem examinations were conducted on 18 bodies at the police mortuary of Kolkata Medical College. The examination of the 19th body took place at NRS Hospital. A team of five forensic medicine specialists carried out the examinations, officials were quoted as saying.
The report refers to the findings as those of a final post-mortem report in its opening account, while a later section describes them as preliminary post-mortem findings. It does not provide details of the crowd size, the precise point of congestion, the arrangements at the pandal or any findings from an investigation into the circumstances that led to the stampede.
The medical findings therefore establish the reported injuries and causes of death but do not, by themselves, determine how the crowd pressure developed or whether any safety or crowd-management protocols were breached. Further official details on the incident would be needed to establish those aspects.
