IAF's aerobatic prowess in Chennai steals hearts, five spectators die

A spectacular aerial display of the Indian Air Force aircraft over the skies of Marina Beach was a big draw here on Sunday, but at least five persons, who were among thousands of spectators, died due to causes including extreme exhaustion.

A senior city police official said that one person died on the beachfront and four others in the vicinity and all the five were among the thousands who had gathered along the several kilometer long shoreline to witness the air show.

Leader of Opposition and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the DMK government for the incident and alleged it failed to properly make arrangements for such a significant event and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved.

To witness the event, thousands of people stood in the scorching sun for atleast 2 to 3 hours and a lot of them held umbrellas to shield themselves. Though the air show was held between 11 am to 1 pm, most people gathered at the venue at least an hour before.

Several persons fainted and .