The Chennai Air Show at Marina Beach, meant to showcase the Indian Air Force’s capabilities with a display of 72 aircraft, took a tragic turn on Sunday. At least five spectators lost their lives, and around 200 others were hospitalized due to severe exhaustion and dehydration, according to reports from PTI.
A senior police official mentioned that one person died at the beachfront itself, while the other four passed away in nearby areas. The fatalities were part of the 1.5 million spectators who had gathered along the shoreline to witness the event.
The Tamil Nadu government, confirmed that most of those admitted to Royapettah and Omandurar hospitals have been discharged, while two patients remain in stable condition at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital. The government also dismissed allegations of crowd mismanagement contributing to the deaths.
Images from the site depicted emergency personnel assisting unconscious individuals, rushing them to shelters and hospitals. Despite the scale of the incident, officials have emphasized that the deaths were not linked to any organizational failures, attributing them to the large crowds and extreme conditions faced by spectators.
