5 dead, 35 hospitalised as chaos rules roads in Chennai after IAF air show

Though the air show by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on the sandy Marina Beach was a big draw, several thousands of people who converged on the idyllic shore on Sunday found it extremely arduous to return home after the event. Five persons took ill and died, police said.

The Lighthouse metro station nearby and the Chennai MRTS railway station at Velachery, which serves as the closest junction connecting Chintadripet near the Marina, were swarmed by several hundreds of people and many found it difficult to even get a foothold to stand on the platform. Despite this, many risked journeying while others had to miss the train.

The bus stop at Anna Square, in close proximity to the aerial display venue, overflowed with people. “Nearly a dozen people swooned on the Marina due to a near stampede-like situation and also because of the hot weather, and they were treated at a government facility,” a senior police official said.

The police had to step in to clear the traffic to allow three ambulances to reach the hospital, he said.

A senior city police official said that one person died on the beachfront and four others in the vicinity and all the five were among the thousands who had gathered along the several kilometer long shoreline to witness the air show.

The arterial roads from Marina connecting various parts of the city too were affected by traffic snarls and the vehicles remained stationary for several minutes at a spot.

“I found it extremely difficult to take the MRTS train to Chintadripet as Velachery station was fully packed with people eager to see the air display,” K Sridhar from Velachery said. Nevertheless, he managed to take his family of four to the Marina and back, though fully sapped of energy while commuting home.

Traffic near the Marina beach was restored nearly three hours after the air show by IAF aircraft concluded at 1 pm, the police official said.