In frantic search for loved ones, hopes fade every minute

New Delhi: Holding pictures of their missing loved ones on their phones, anxious family members and friends on Sunday rushed to

Lok Nayak Hospital

, desperate for any news. Meena Devi, who went to NDLS with her friends to catch a train, was among those missing. Her husband, Bhola, and brother, Chandan, were frantically searching for her at the hospital.
"Her phone is switched off, and we can't find her," Chandan said, his voice laced with worry, adding that she lived with her husband in Noida. The duo ran from pillar to post, visiting every possible location, but they were not able to find Meena. As the hours ticked by, their anxiety grew. Bhola said, "She's been missing since yesterday. She was headed to Maha Kumbh on that train, travelling without a ticket. I haven't filed a complaint yet, as the hospital authorities claim that bodies of all the deceased have been handed over to their relatives. Meena was travelling with 4-5 others, but I've been unable to contact any of them, leaving me with no news about her whereabouts."
Meanwhile, another family was going through a similar ordeal. Nadeem was travelling from NDLS to Darbhanga when he went missing after the stampede. His brother, Muzim, was searching for him at Lok Nayak Hospital, hoping against hope that he would find him safe and sound. "He left for the railway station around 8pm to board Swatantrata Senani Express to his hometown in Darbhanga," Muzim said. "In the morning, we received news of the stampede. Unfortunately, he wasn't carrying a mobile phone since it was stolen a few days ago." Nadeem worked as a labourer and lived in Ballimaran.
Muzim also visited the railway station but was redirected to the hospital. "I went to the railway station, but the people there told us that every injured person was taken to hospital for treatment," he said, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and desperation.

Sunita, who also to NDLS to board the train for Prayagraj, was missing as well. She lives in Khajuri Khas. Her relative Shyam Kumar was searching for her. "She went to the railway station and there was a stampede and, since then, she has been missing. My brother has gone inside to find out. No one has been cooperating," he said.
Gupteshwar Yadav was frantically searching for his wife at NDLS. He resides in Shadipur depot and arrived at the railway station around 8pm. "At that time, there was already a massive crowd. We thought the crowd would dissipate slowly, but people were stuck in between, unable to move forward or backward," he recounted. "There was no authority figure present to manage the situation. Amid the chaos, my wife went missing. I have visited two hospitals and also filed a police complaint."