‘Husband went to get his bike, never returned’: Woman recounts airshow tragedy

Karthikeyan, 34, went to Chennai’s Marina Beach with his family to witness the aerobatic performance of Indian Air Force planes as part of the 92nd IAF Day celebrations on October 6.
Karthikeyan, a resident of Thiruvotriyur, worked as an admin with a private logistics company. He and his family were among the millions of people who turned up to witness the airshow and also to create a Limca Book of Records for the largest public gathering to watch an event.
However, tragedy struck as the venue fell short of accommodating the swelling crowd, as spectators struggled with overcrowding, traffic jams, and lack of basic amenities in the sweltering heat. At least five people died and hundreds of others were hospitalised due to heat-related issues.
Karthikeyan was among those who lost their lives.
His wife, Sivaranjani, said that as the airshow came to an end, chaos erupted as people started thronging to the exit. Karthikeyan left his wife and their two-year-old son at a bus stop to get his bike parked a kilometre away.
He struggled and walked for almost a kilometre, reaching Nappier Bridge which connects Fort St George with Marina Beach. But he never returned.
“He went to get his bike. I couldn’t contact him as the phones were not working. I waited for two hours. I kept calling and suddenly, around 3.15 pm, someone attended the call and told me that he (Karthikeyan) had collapsed and asked me to reach the spot,” Sivaranjani told India Today TV.
“It took me 10 minutes to reach the spot. I saw him on the floor unresponsive. We took him in an ambulance and brought him to the hospital where he was declared dead. I don’t know what happened to him for two hours. Who is responsible for this?” questioned Sivaranjani.
Sivaranjani’s ordeal didn’t end there. She was waiting in front of the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital to get her husband’s body,when she she was informed that the ‘cause of death’ couldn’t be ascertained.
Sivaranjani told India Today TV that she refused to accept the body until the reason for the death was established. The authorities, however, took the signature of one of her distant cousins and loaded Karthikeyan’s body in an ambulance.
“I don’t know what is happening here. Neither me nor Karthikeyan’s mother signed the papers,” a sobbing Sivaranjani told India Today TV as she rushed to get into a car and chase her husband’s body in the ambulance.
Marina Beach, the second-largest coastline in the world, has handled large crowds in the past. Political stalwarts such as CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi were all put to rest next to the waves with millions gathering to bid them adieu.
Recently, Marina Beach witnessed one of the largest gatherings during the Jallikattu protests, when an estimated 10 lakh floating crowd gathered for more than a week.
But things have changed considerably since then as several exits were artificially covered due to construction of metro train projects. The chains of eateries penetrating through the beach, which kept providing a constant supply of food and water to the crowd, were shut for the airshow.
Not aware of these changes, millions gathered to watch the spectacle by 8 am on Sunday, October 6. Though the spectators brought umbrellas and water with them, it was not sufficient to sustain themselves for nearly six hours under the unforgiving Sun above their heads and scorching sand below them.
As the show came to an end, people decided to move towards the road in a hurry. Though 7,500 police personnel were deployed, none could be seen on the Marina Road as they were busy routing and making the routes clear for the VIPs sitting under white tents.
Marina Road began to swell and clog with the public unable to move on any side. Several began to collapse and were made to sit on either side of the road with concerned family members fanning them. Many tried to jump over fences of Presidency College and other buildings just to get some shade under the trees and a space to breathe.
An official with municipal corporation claimed that drinking water was available at the spot. However, it was set up in the service lane and the crowd had already moved to the main road which should have been controlled, the official said.
Another source stated that Armed Reserve personnel were readily available in Avadi Reserve, which could have been used for crowd control.