Five dead from heat stroke at crowded Chennai airshow

AT LEAST five people died at an airshow in Chennai, India, after temperatures soared during the event, according to media reports on Monday.

The airshow, held along a beach in Tamil Nadu's capital, attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators on Sunday. Temperatures reached 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), leading to cases of heat stroke and exhaustion. The Press Trust of India, quoting government officials, confirmed that five spectators had died due to these conditions.

The Indian Express reported similar accounts, with a police officer stating that the deaths were caused by "dehydration and stress" in separate incidents.

An eyewitness described the crowd as "suffocating," while reports also indicated heavy traffic congestion and overcrowded trains.

NDTV reported that the Indian air force had been actively promoting the event in an effort to set a record in the Limca Book of Records, an Indian archive of records.

Despite these challenges, Tamil Nadu's state minister for medical and family welfare, Ma Subramanian, said adequate provisions had been made, including medical teams and drinking water for the large crowds.

India is accustomed to high summer temperatures, but climate change has been linked to more intense, frequent, and prolonged heatwaves. Earlier this year, the country experienced temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

Lawmaker Kanimozhi Karunanidhi from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party expressed sorrow over the deaths, calling them "painful."

(With inputs from AFP)