At least five spectators who attended the Indian Air Force air show in Chennai died after the event on Sunday, according to DMK MP Kanimozhi. One person was declared dead upon arrival at the Royapettah Government Hospital. A senior doctor said the exact cause of death would be known after a postmortem.
Kanimozhi expressed her sadness, saying the deaths were painful, and urged for better crowd management at such events, especially in hot weather. One man reportedly suffered heatstroke while stuck in traffic on his bike.
The air show aimed to gather 15 lakh spectators for a record, but the crowd became unmanageable, causing chaos. There were traffic jams, lack of drinking water, and poor crowd control. Many people, including children, were exhausted and dehydrated, with some fainting. Volunteers tried to help, but there was no effective police regulation, and ambulances struggled to get through.
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While the Chennai police had deployed thousands of personnel, many were seen leaving without assisting the stranded people. The state government had made some arrangements for water and toilets, but they were not enough.
The show featured performances by the Special Garud Force and 72 aircraft, including Rafale, Tejas, and Dakota. However, questions are being raised about the crowd management and safety at the event.