Five die as 1.5 million attend Indian air show (VIDEO)

At least five people died and over 100 hospitalized in the southern Indian city of Chennai after over 1.5 million people attended an air show on Sunday. The event was dedicated to the anniversary of the Indian Air Force celebrated on October 8.

Hundreds of thousands of people were left stranded after the event, held at city’s Marina Beach, allegedly due to poor coordination by the traffic authorities, according to media reports. 

One attendee told Reuters that there was no water available at the event despite the heat, and that he saw people fainting due to dehydration and the heat. Roads near the venue became clogged due to the high attendance, he added.

M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of the state, announced 500,000 rupees (around $6,000) in financial aid for the families of the deceased.

Refuting allegations of “poor planning and mismanagement” made by the opposition parties in the state, Stalin said on Monday that “arrangements were made” to organize the air show with the coordination of the fire and rescue department, police, and municipality services.

“Because of this stampede was averted,” Stalin said. “Next time, we would focus more and arrangements would be done when similar big events are planned,” he added, according to the Times of India.

All of the deaths were caused by “heat-related issues,” Ma Subramanian, the health minister of Tamil Nadu, said on Monday. He also appealed to the political parties and media not to politicize the issue.

Tamil Nadu has recorded high temperatures throughout the year, prompting plans from the state government to declare the heat waves as a state-specific disaster. Temperatures on Sunday reached 35C (95F). The timing of the show (11am to 1pm) was decided by the air force based on the weather conditions and people were advised to bring umbrellas, wear caps, and bring water bottles with them, the health minister said.

NDTV reported that the event faced criticism for attempting to attract more attendees than manageable in an effort to set a world record. 

Despite the deployment of over 6,500 police personnel and 1,500 additional guards for security, traffic regulation was ineffective, leaving vehicles stuck for hours around the beach. With soaring temperatures and no public transportation available, hundreds had to walk three to four kilometers on congested roads to find transportation or retrieve their vehicles.