Lakhs of people gathered to watch the Chennai Air Show at Marina Beach, five died; health of many people deteriorated

He said, "However, today's event could not manage the administrative arrangement and crowd and traffic properly, as the police force is also inadequate to control it. It was shocking to hear that people are stuck in heavy traffic, drinking water is not available, and many people have been hospitalized due to heat stroke, and 5 people have died so far. This pains me a lot."

A crowd of people gathered at the bus stop at Anna Square near the aerial show venue. "Due to the stampede-like situation and heat at Marina, about a dozen people fainted and were treated at a government facility," a senior police official told PTI. He said police had to step in to clear traffic so that three ambulances could reach the hospital.

While returning home, two people fell sick, out of which one died at the government hospital, while another died near his bike at Anna Salai. Moreover, the official said about 35 people were hospitalized with symptoms of dehydration. Arterial roads from the Marina connecting various parts of the city were also hit by traffic jams with vehicles stranded for several minutes.

"I found it extremely difficult to take the MRTS train to Chintadripet as Velachery station was packed with people eager to watch the aerial display," K Sridhar of Velachery told the agency. Traffic was restored near Marina Beach about three hours after the air show by IAF jets ended at 1 pm, the police official said.