Two men died after being injured in a stampede on a narrow footbridge at Santragachi station, in Howrah, after several trains arrived in quick succession on Tuesday evening.

Sources said the victims — Taser Sardar, 61, from Murshidabad, and Kala Kant Singh, 32, from East Midnapore — were construction workers and returning home from Kerala. They had got off the Nagercoil-Shalimar Gurudev Express.

Twelve other people, including a seven-year-old girl, were injured. All were taken to Howrah State General Hospital, where Sardar and Singh were declared dead. Doctors said the condition of one of the injured was critical.

One unidentified man among the injured was shifted to SSKM Hospital late on Tuesday.

Santragachi is among the busiest stations in Bengal but it has only one footbridge, around 5ft wide.

Officials said the stampede occurred around 6.10pm. Two local trains and two express trains (the Shalimar-bound Gurudev Express and the Shalimar-Bhanjpur Simlipal Express) had just left the station.

A Howrah-Adra passenger and a Howrah-Amta local had just pulled in, while the Shalimar-Visakhapatnam Express and the Shalimar-Chennai AC Express were about to enter.

Shoes, bags and other items lie under the footbridge at Santragachi station where a stampede claimed the lives of two passengers Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

“Hundreds of people were waiting on the narrow footbridge, unsure about which platforms the trains would arrive on. They were waiting for announcements. The rush of passengers who got off the Gurudev Express and the local trains added to the crowd crush on the footbridge. The moment announcements were made, there was a mad rush,” said an official of South Eastern Railway.

“It was like everyone fleeing after an explosion. People were running with their luggage over their head. There were children in the crowd,” said Ranjurima Das, who suffered injuries in her left leg while trying to climb the footbridge from platform number 1.

Several passengers alleged there were no RPF personnel on the bridge.

Scores of shoes and bags lay strewn under the bridge after the stampede.

Sanjoy Ghosh, spokesperson for South Eastern Railway, blamed the festival rush for the stampede. “These trains are normally crowded throughout the year. But during the pre- and post-puja season, the rush multiplies several times,” he said.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the station and Howrah State General Hospital and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of each deceased and Rs 1 lakh for each of the injured.

The railways also announced Rs 5 lakh for the family of each deceased, Rs 1 lakh for each of those who were seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for each of those who suffered minor injuries. “We will conduct an inquiry,” said Ghosh.