Bengaluru stampede: Witnesses level to lack of crowd management, lapses in emergency preparedness

Almost 300,000 folks had gathered across the stadium on Wednesday night within the hopes of seeing RCB gamers. With restricted crowd management measures in place and safety preparations collapsing beneath strain, many had been trampled or fell unconscious, followers that witnessed the chaos stated.

“There was completely no crowd management. Individuals had been simply pouring in with out even exhibiting passes. The barricades had been trampled, folks had been climbing onto bushes, and the world was suffering from deserted footwear,” stated Niranjan Gowda, a software program engineer who witnessed the crush up shut.

He recounted seeing victims gasp for air as they fell to the bottom. “A police officer moved two folks, who had been struggling to breathe, into an auto rickshaw. Nobody stopped to assist, everybody was fixated on getting inside and recording movies. It was heartless.”

Ambulances had been unable to navigate the tightly packed crowd and choked roads, forcing bystanders and police to move injured folks in non-public automobiles and auto-rickshaws, stated Jagannath BR, a resort worker, who additionally attended the celebrations. “Many, together with police, referred to as ambulances from completely different hospitals, however the giant crowd outdoors gates affected motion of ambulances,” he stated.

Whereas taking cognisance of the incident on Thursday, the Karnataka excessive court docket recorded that solely two ambulances had been deployed for the occasion. The court docket famous that well timed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) might need saved a few of the lives misplaced within the stampede.

Medical professionals at hospitals receiving the injured echoed the gravity of the state of affairs. Dr Humera at Vydehi Tremendous Speciality Hospital unhappy that emergency calls started coming in round 3.30pm. “The primary injured arrived at 3.45pm, adopted by others at 4.10pm, 4.45 pm, and 5.30 pm. Sadly, all these introduced in throughout that point had been declared useless on arrival,” the physician stated

The hospital obtained seven sufferers throughout Wednesday’s chaos. “4 had been introduced useless, two — aged 24 and 29— are beneath therapy and might be discharged tomorrow. One individual was handled as an outpatient,” Dr Humera added.

A nurse at Bowring and Girl Curzon Hospital in Shivaji Nagar stated that the hospital admitted not less than 20 folks injured from the incident web site. “Six of the deceased had been introduced useless. Of the remaining, 10 have been discharged, and 4 are nonetheless being handled,” she stated on the situation of anonymity.

Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who visited the injured at Bowring Hospital, expressed anguish over the accounts he heard. “I used to be actually pained after listening to from a deceased’s mom. The state authorities stands with the victims and can guarantee correct medical take care of the injured,” he stated.