Five die of ‘exhaustion’ at Chennai air show

A spectacular aerial display of the Indian Air Force aircraft over the skies of Marina Beach was a big draw here on Sunday, but at least five persons, who were among thousands of spectators, died due to causes including extreme exhaustion.

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.

To witness the event, thousands of people stood in the scorching sun for at least 2 to 3 hours and a lot of them held umbrellas to shield themselves. Though the air show was held between 11 am to 1 pm, most people gathered at the venue an hour before.

A stampede-like situation emerged for a while and several persons fainted. Over 30 people were rushed to nearby government hospitals with symptoms of dehydration.