At least five persons died and several others were hospitalised after an Indian Air Force air show at Chennai’s Marina Beach on Sunday, The Hindu reported. More than 15 lakh persons attended the show.
Many attendees experienced dehydration and several fainted as temperatures reached 36 degree Celsius. The show was held between 11:30 am to 1 pm.
There were no provisions for water or medical assistance, several unidentified attendees told The Indian Express.
After the show concluded at 1 pm, heavy congestion was reported as the crowd started to leave the area.
More than 150 persons were given first aid in parts of the city for dehydration and stress, an unidentified police officer told The Indian Express.
“One death was reported on the beach, another near Napier Bridge [nearly two km from the Marina Beach],” the officer said. “Other victims died on their way back home at different places. It was not a stampede situation at one particular place.”
Among those who died, V Karthikeyan, a 34-year-old resident of RMV Nagar in Thiruvottiyur who had come for the air show with his family, suffered a heart attack near the Napier Bridge, The Hindu quoted unidentified police officers as saying.
Others who died included 48-year-old Srinivasan, who died near Santhome after collapsing in a parking area, and John Babu, a 56-year-old former staff member of the Omandurar hospital.
Babu died while trying to retrieve his scooter from the hospital’s parking lot, according to The Indian Express. Another man named Dinesh was also found dead near the shoreline, The Hindu reported.
The fifth person who died was yet to be identified, the police said, according to The Hindu.
The Opposition parties criticised the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state for its “inadequate planning” and “poor crowd management” during the air show.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday said that the “administrative arrangements and crowds were not managed properly”. The police force was also inadequate, he said on social media.
“The news is shocking that people were stuck in heavy traffic, with no drinking water available, and many were hospitalised due to heatstroke,” he said. “My strong condemnation to this [Chief Minister] MK Stalin government for failing to provide proper security for this event.”
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tamil Nadu unit chief K Annamalai accused the state government of negligence.
“I was shocked to hear that five people died due to crowding, and more than 200 people were injured and admitted to the hospital during the IAF [Indian Air Force] air show,” he wrote in a social media post. “The only reason for this is that the DMK [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam] government did not take care of public safety.”
He added: “The loss of 5 lives cannot be passed off as an accident. The DMK government is fully responsible for this as it neglected even the basic arrangements.”
State Health Minister Ma Subramanian, however, claimed that the government provided “more than what was initially requested by the Indian Air Force”.
Two health teams with doctors and nurses, along with 40 ambulances were deployed at the Marina Beach, he said on social media. Paramedical teams and drinking water supply were also arranged at the venue, he added. “Apart from this, medical teams were formed on behalf of the Indian Army.”
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi said that the news of the five deaths was “sad and painful”. On social media, the Lok Sabha member from Thoothukkudi said: “Unmanageable gatherings should also be avoided.”
