A stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in India killed at least 11 and injured dozens more on Wednesday, People reported. More than 200,000 revelers descended on the stadium to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which won its first victory in the Indian Premier League cricket final.
The streets were flooded with more than double the number of people authorities were prepared for around the stadium in the Indian state of Karnataka. "No one expected this crowd," the state's chief minister, Siddaramaiah, said.
The situation turned deadly after some fans attempted to rush the stadium entrance, causing a bottleneck. "There were so many people trying to push through a small gate that the stampede took place," an official noted. This could be seen in photos shared by an Indian news service.
#NewsAlert | Death toll rises to 11 during stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium amidst celebration #IPLFinals #ViratKohliđ” #chinnaswamystadium #RCB pic.twitter.com/UnCsd9UslB
â ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) June 4, 2025
Fox Sports Australia reported a witness's account at an area hospital in the aftermath of the event. "I was standing near the entrance, there was a huge crowd and they stamped on me," an injured woman who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.
"I was not able to breathe. I fell unconscious," she added. The woman was seated in a wheelchair after an apparent injury related to the stampede.
Siddaramaiah promised a thorough investigation. "I donât want to defend the incident, the tragedy... our government is not going to play politics on this. This tragedy should not have happened. We are with the victims," Siddaramaiah said.
According to CNN, Siddaramaiah said he was "deeply shocked by the tragic loss of lives," he told the press. "A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow," he added. The team was also "deeply anguished" by the tragedy that unfolded as fans were celebrating their victory.
Devajit Saikia, secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which governs the IPL, blamed the "popularity" of the sport. "This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organizers should have planned it better," Saikia claimed.
This latest stampede is part of what may be a troubling trend in India. On January 29, a similar crowd rush killed more than 30 people during the nation's largest religious gathering, Reuters reported.
Just as with the cricket crowd, there were too many people gathered in the space, resulting in chaos. The Hindu festival had seen nearly 200 million visitors in the first two weeks as the festival came to a crescendo on the day of the stampede.
Some tens of millions attempted to take a "holy dip" in the water in the city of Prayagraj, where the sacred rivers meet. Witnesses said that some of the routes were blocked by police, boxing in the crowd as people collapsed from suffocation, while the crowd pushed from behind.
The problem is partly to blame on local officials, but it could be just the sheer number of people in one place. As the Associated Press reported, India became the most densely populated nation in the world in 2023 after surpassing China.
