Joy turned to horror for fans celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Indian Premier League victory. The parade in Bengaluru city, where the team won its first title, became a deadly crush that killed 11 people and injured dozens more.
The crowd, far beyond expectations of 100,000, surged to 200,000-300,000, overwhelming the stadium’s capacity of 32,000. Videos showed people climbing trees and trying to scale the stadium walls as authorities struggled to control the crowds.
Survivors, including Shamili, who joined her sister and friends near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, described a terrifying crush where surging crowds led to suffocation or broken ribs due to delayed ambulances reaching the site. The 11 victims had ages ranging from 13 to 43 years, including college students and a young tech worker.
RCB officials said they were not aware of the crush until getting phone calls, while IPL chairman Arun Dhumal admitted he did not know who planned the event. Star player Virat Kohli expressed his “absolute guttlessness” after the incident.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a magisterial enquiry into the incident, stating that a moment of joy had turned into sorrow.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyj2jryj67o