Friday 06 / June / 2025
Several people were reported killed in a stampede outside a cricket stadium in Bengaluru, the capital of India's southern Karnataka state, Indian media reported Wednesday.
The incident took place as thousands of fans gathered outside to celebrate a cricket match of the Indian Premier League.
Broadcaster NDTV reported that at least 11 people had been killed while The Indian Express newspaper reported at least 10 deaths and multiple injuries.
Local official says crowd 'uncontrollable'
Deputy chief minister of Karnataka state, D.K. Shivakumar that he was not able to give immediate confirmation of deaths.
"This is not a controllable crowd," AFP news agency quoted him as telling reporters. "The police were finding it very difficult."
"I apologise to the people of Karnataka and Bengaluru," he said. "We wanted to take a procession, but the crowd was very uncontrollable... the crowd was so much."
Local TV channels broadcast footage of police moving injured people to nearby ambulances.
Fatal stampedes in India
Overcrowding and stampedes of people are frequently reported at mass gatherings in India, often at religious events, where millions of devotees come together for a special event.
In February, at least 18 people were killed and over 10 were injured in a stampede at a railway station in New Delhi, as crowds rushed to catch trains to the world's largest religious congregation, the Maha Kumbh Mela.
In July last year, over 100 people were crushed to death in a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in Mughalghari village in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
