11 Killed, Dozens Injured As India Cricket Victory Celebration Turns Deadly

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, June 4 (Bernama) -- Eleven people were killed and many injured in a stampede in Indian city Bengaluru on Wednesday outside a stadium where cricket fans had gathered to celebrate the local team's victory.

The southern state of Karnataka erupted in joy after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament final on Tuesday night.

The victory celebration was organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) inside the stadium in Bengaluru after the winning RCB squad returned from Gujarat state's Ahmedabad city where the final match was held.

Fireworks lit the skies of Bengaluru on Tuesday night as RCB scored their maiden title win in the 18-year-old IPL, a contest that keeps hundreds of millions of Indians fixated to T20 cricket.

Eleven people were killed and dozens injured as the crowds swelled outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The celebration event was called off after the stampede.

The stadium's capacity is 35,000, but about 300,000 people gathered for the victory celebration, local media reported, citing Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.

"Deeply shocked by the tragic loss of lives in the stampede during the RCB victory celebrations near Chinnaswamy Stadium. A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow," Siddaramaiah said in a post on the social media platform X.

"Precautionary measures were taken by not allowing a victory parade, but the crowd surge near the stadium led to this tragedy. I urge everyone to always prioritise safety -- above excitement, celebration, or crowd fervour," he said.

More than 100,000 people also gathered at the state assembly, but no untoward incident was reported from there.

-- BERNAMA