CHENNAI: Five people who attended the air show at Marina Beach died from suspected dehydration. The deceased have been identified as D. John (56) of Korukkupet, Karthikeyan (34) of Tiruvottiyur, Srinivasan of Perungalathur, Mani (55) of Marakkanam and Dinesh. They collapsed while returning from the event and were rushed to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
According to a source, John, along with his brother-in-law Shyam Kumar, and wife Elisamma, attended the event. While returning, he fainted while walking along the Kamarajar Salai. He was taken to the hospital and was declared dead.
Karthikeyan, fainted while riding his bike near INS Adyar, complaining of chest trouble while returning from the show. He was taken to RGGGH, where he was declared dead.
The hospital authorities are awaiting the postmortem results to ascertain the cause of death.
Over 300 people fainted during the event, with hospital sources reporting that around 43 were treated at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Around 200 people were administered first aid at the venue by emergency staff and a few others were rushed to other hospitals including the Government Royapettah hospital.
The visual spectacles performed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Marina Beach on Sunday were soon overshadowed by the chaos that followed, as thousands struggled to exit the venue due to severe mismanagement by the authorities.
Notwithstanding the heat of the day, which went up to 35 degree celsius in Meenambakkam and suffocation due to the crowd, several thousands were stranded at the venue for over an hour as traffic came to a standstill.
Some boys and men from the crowd climbed the compound walls of nearby buildings to escape the pushing, shoving, and suffocation. A few even climbed trees within the premises to seek relief from the heat. Holding umbrellas and with children and elderly parents in tow, a determined group of people attempted to cover the distance on foot.
The estimated 13 lakh attendees were all allowed to exit at once through the designated points, quickly filling the main road.
With no police personnel and officers, both Law & Order and Traffic, in sight, the crowd, resembling a huge procession, was making its way to the main junctions. Two-wheelers, cars and even some of the 40 ambulances that were stationed for emergencies at the venue, could hardly move for hours. Three MTC buses also stood motionless in the sea of people around it.
Nirmala from Periamet, a college student, said “In the morning, as we were entering the venue, the traffic arrangements and crowd management was better. As soon as the event was over, it was as if the general public was forgotten and left on our own to navigate the traffic.”
Children, carrying chart papers showcasing the drawings of jets and aircrafts, were struggling to find water and food as they were stranded in the afternoon. Their parents were found begging for water bottles from those who were found carrying them.
Sathish Kumar, a wheelchair user, noted that the entry of buses and cabs to the venue was restricted. As a result, he had to travel three kilometres in his wheelchair from Omandurar Estate Metro to reach the beach. Although shuttle services were provided, they did not include low-floor buses.
"Though we tried to approach various government agencies including MTC and Chennai corporation to make the event accessible for persons with disabilities, nothing was done. They didn't even consider it. The officers who were on duty in the venue didn't have any idea on how to guide us," he said.
Even in the venue, the disability pathway was used by VIPs to walk and reach their respective seats.
"While the general public stood on the sand and watched the show, the disability pathway was the only option for wheelchair users. We can't use wheelchairs on the beach sand. The airshow was not visible from the service road. Officials didn't allow us inside the disability pathway and we had to fight for more than 1 hour to access it," he added.
Latha, who was trying to pacify her son who was asking for water, said “We did not know it was going to be this bad. I brought three two-litre bottles and they got over inside the venue itself as we were made to sit on the scorching sand. There’s no shop nearby to buy water bottles or even biscuits.”
Right outside the Government Estate Metro Station, there were huge crowds trying to enter the station. It was seen that passengers were allowed to go through the exits as well inside the station. At the Velachery MRTS station, people were seen hanging from the compartments. An official MRTS press release stated that there was nearly 6 times the increase in daily average footfalls and they increased the services from 100 to 110. Ten additional trains were operated in peak hours, railways officials said.
Corporation Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said that the corporation had no role in crowd management.
The Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Defence, Chennai and the Chennai police commissioner A Arun were unavailable for comment.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday strongly condemned the DMK government for failing to properly coordinate the Air Show organised by the Indian Air Force on Marina since many people who attended the event were caught in heavy traffic. Even drinking water was not available and many have been admitted to hospital while the death toll touched five.
"My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. The State government earlier informed that arrangements have been made for transportation and basic facilities. However, since the police force was inadequate to regulate, people were put to severe hardships. In many cities of the country, such events went off well. But the loss of lives in Chennai is very unfortunate. I condemn the Stalin government for failing to provide proper security for this event," Palaniswami said in a statement here.