Chennai: Four people died and 96 were hospitalised on Sunday, October 6, due to dehydration, heatstroke and stampede during the airshow conducted by the Indian Air Force (AIF) at Marina Beach in Chennai. According to local reports, more than 13 lakhs flocked to the beach and the neighbouring area in the city to spectate the event.
The deceased are identified as Srinivasan, 48, Karthikeyan, 34, John Babu, 56, and Dinesh, as reported by The News Minute.
The Airshow was conducted to commemorate the Indian Air Force’s 92nd anniversary. The AIF show was being conducted in the city after 21 years, on a Sunday, which led to a huge crowd coming out to witness the show, baffling the crowd control mechanisms. The 13 lakh-strong crowd made it into the Limca Book of World Records for the highest number of spectators for an airshow.
The event turned into a disaster after the show, when the spectators started to head back from the venue. Waves of stampedes reportedly rocked the crowd, and many people fainted and were injured.
According to netizens who took to social media platforms to record their anguish, the injured persons could not be evacuated and given medical care quickly as ambulances were getting stuck in the crowd.
The metro stations were also places of chaos on Sunday afternoon with huge crowds trying to access the metro trains to go back to their residences.
Though elaborate preparations were made to manage the much-advertised Air Force event, which provided a visual treat to the Chennaians, the crowd control mechanism in the city got overwhelmed by the unprecedented crowd.
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