At least five spectators died and hundreds were hospitalised as the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) air show, held to celebrate its 92nd anniversary, turned into a nightmare at Chennai’s Marina Beach as a crowd of more than 12 lakh people showed up.

The event, which was intended to be a spectacle of military aviation, ended in chaos as the sheer size of the crowd overwhelmed both organisers and local authorities, Indian Express reported.

“Over 150 people have received first aid in various parts of the city due to the dehydration and stress they faced. One death was reported on the beach, another near Napier Bridge. Other victims died on their way back home at different places. It was not a stampede situation at one particular place,” a senior police officer said, IE reported.

The event, which was the first such event in Chennai in over two decades, attracted lakhs of people. They started assembling at the Marina Beach by 7 am for the 11.30 am to 1 pm air show.

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However, when the event ended at 1 pm, the entire crowd attempted to leave the area at once. Traffic authorities were unprepared to manage the mass exodus, and soon, congestion built up around Marina Beach, paralysing movement for more than an hour.

Questions are being raised over the Indian Air Force aggressively pushing this event to set a Limca Book of World Record by aiming to mobilise 15 lakh spectators — much beyond manageable — and the Chennai City Police’s poor crowd and traffic management.

Everything had been going smoothly ahead of the event, with largescale traffic diversion and parking regulations. But closer to the air show — scheduled at 11 am — the crowd got so large that the elevated MRTS railway stations along the Marina Beach road had turned into a sea of people.

There was no adequate arrangement for drinking water in the spectators’ area. With temperature soaring and no public transport, hundreds had to walk three to four kilometres on the jam-packed roads to get any public conveyance or pick up their vehicles. Many – children among them — just sat on the sidewalk tired and dehydrated. Many were also seen attending to fainted or weary individuals.

Eyewitnesses reported panic among attendees as they found themselves trapped. “It was suffocating, we couldn’t move at all,” said Abhasree, who attended the show till the end.

Among the deceased were Karthikeyan, 34, who came with family, suffered a fatal heart attack. Srinivasan, 48, who died near Santhome after collapsing in a parking area; John Babu, 56, a former staff member of Omandurar hospital, who died while trying to retrieve his scooter from the hospital’s parking lot; and Dinesh, who was found unconscious near the shoreline.

Many who attended the show had experiences of dehydration and fainting, as temperatures soared to 36 degrees Celsius, with no provision for water or medical assistance readily available, attendees narrated, IE reported.

Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai expressed deep shock over the incident, placing the blame squarely on the state’s ruling DMK government. “The loss of five lives cannot be passed off as an accident,” Annamalai stated, adding that the administration failed to provide basic safety measures and transportation arrangements. He further criticised Chief Minister MK Stalin, accusing him of neglecting public safety in favour of political promotion.

In his scathing remarks, Annamalai condemned the DMK government, saying it was more focused on family politics than addressing the concerns of the people. He called for the Chief Minister to be held accountable for what he described as “the misery of hundreds of families” affected by the tragedy. “The Chief Minister must be answerable to the public,” Annamalai insisted.

AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami also expressed his grief and anger, extending condolences to the families of the victims. In a strongly worded tweet, he condemned the Tamil Nadu government for its mismanagement, stating, “My strong condemnation to the MK Stalin government for failing to provide proper security for this event.”