India, Feb. 17 -- Gupteshwar Yadav, a resident of Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, was walking around New Delhi railway station with a passport-sized photograph of his wife Tara Devi, desperately asking every passerby whether they had seen her anywhere.

He, along with Tara and his brother Cheteshwar, was headed to Prayagraj to attend the Maha Kumbh and arrived at the New Delhi station on Saturday night when they got caught in the stampede - in which at least 18 people would eventually die - and were separated.

The situation at the station somewhat stabilised by 11.30pm, according to railway authorities. Yadav and his brother managed to reunite, and have since been looking for Tara.

"The crowd was such that we got separated and I lost my wife. ...