At least 11 people have died after a stampede among cricket fans celebrating the winners of the Indian Premier League.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru supporters were outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru city, Karnataka state, after the team won their first IPL title on Tuesday.
Thousands of people were seen lining the streets as the cricket team arrived in a bus on Wednesday evening, with some seen climbing trees and the stadium wall.
As the celebration proceeded, some people outside without passes tried to push through the gates.
Police added that there was further trouble between the perimeter and main arena, and images showed people climbing over others.
Pic: AP
Local TV news channels showed images of police shifting the injured persons and those who fell unconscious to ambulances.
A witness also told the Reuters news agency that they saw officers caning crowds at one of the gates.
Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah said that 11 people had died and 47 were injured in the incident.
He said: “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.”
People walk past scattered shoes left behind following a stampede outside a cricket stadium in Bengaluru. Pic: Reuters
D.K. Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister of Karnataka state, also told reporters that “the crowd was very uncontrollable”, and added: “I apologise for the overcrowding.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which organises the IPL, in a statement called the incident “unfortunate”.
“This is a negative side of popularity,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said. “People are crazy for their cricketers.”
He added: “My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. I wish early recovery of the injured.”
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Pic: Reuters
The IPL is the world’s most popular T20 cricket tournament.
Ahead of the celebrations, the team had given away free passes for the event through its website, while also warning that numbers would be limited.
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Stampedes are relatively common in India when large crowds gather at a place.
In January, at least 30 people were killed as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival, the world’s largest religious gathering.
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