Tragedy strikes Bengaluru cricket celebration: At least 11 died in the crush

A jubilant celebration outside a cricket ground in Bengaluru tragically transformed into a scene of disaster, as a crowd crush resulted in the deaths of at least 11 individuals and injuries to 47 others, according to authorities. The incident occurred as thousands of enthusiastic fans gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic first Indian Premier League (IPL) title victory.

Television channels depicted scenes of vast crowds, many waving the home team’s red flag, lining the streets surrounding the M Chinnaswamy Stadium as the triumphant team arrived by bus in the evening. Some desperate spectators resorted to climbing trees and even the stadium wall in an attempt to gain a better vantage point of their heroes.

While the team had distributed free passes for the celebratory event via its website, they had also issued warnings regarding limited entry numbers. As the festivities commenced, police reported that individuals without passes attempted to force their way through the gates, leading to further disorder between the outer perimeter and the main stadium arena.

Karnataka state chief minister, Siddaramaiah, confirmed the casualties to reporters, stating, “No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 200,000 to 300,000 people came.” He lamented the tragic turn of events: “At a time of celebration, this unfortunate event should not have happened. We are saddened by this. The fans that showed up were beyond our expectations.”

Amidst the chaos, a police officer was observed carrying an injured spectator to an ambulance, while others huddled around another individual lying seemingly unconscious on the ground. Mithun Singh, a software engineer who was present in the crowd, claimed that police began using canes on people at one gate, exacerbating the pandemonium. Naseer Ahmed, a political secretary for the Karnataka chief minister, conveyed to broadcaster NDTV that the crowd became uncontrollable, and authorities were unable to implement adequate safety arrangements.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had secured their IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings on Tuesday in the final match of the 18th edition of the T20 tournament, recognized as the world's wealthiest cricket league. This tragic incident echoes another mass casualty event from January, where at least 30 people died during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival, the world's largest religious gathering, as tens of thousands of Hindu devotees surged to bathe in a sacred river.