Tag: stampede

  • AR Rahman apologises after Chennai concert stampede

    AR Rahman apologises after Chennai concert stampede

    Oscar winning music composer AR Rahman has addressed the controversial Marakuma Nenjam concert held in Chennai on September 10 where numerous fans reported cases of harassment, molestation and suffocation due to poor management, leading to a stampede. Speaking with The Hindu, the ‘Dil Se’ composer apologised and said he was “deeply disturbed” by the reports. The maestro said he would refund all the tickets, asking people to reach out to him through email to elaborate on other problems at the concert.

    “It was a tsunami of people and love that we were unable to handle. As a composer, my job was to give a terrific show, and I thought everything else would be taken care of. I was just thinking that it shouldn’t rain, and was happily performing inside, without any idea of what was happening outside. Our intentions were good, but I think the response was beyond our expectations. We are collecting the data now, and we will surprise fans with something soon.”

    The singer elaborated on the events of the evening and what had gone wrong:

     “The organisers (ACTC events) had put together about 46,000 chairs in the venue. In some sections, everybody sat on one side and didn’t move to the other side. Seeing this, the policemen on duty assumed that the venue was full and closed it. By this time, the show had already started inside.”

    Indian publication The Quint spoke with several women about the harassment and poor management they had witnessed at AR Rahman’s concert, describing how several children were crying after being separated from their parents and ambulances that couldn’t reach those who had fainted.

    A 22-year-old lawyer said she was groped multiple times for half an hour while trying to find the exit along with her mother.

    “I lost count of the number of times I got groped yesterday. After a while, I gave up and didn’t try to defend myself. I tried pushing them, punching them, but they kept touching me. So I had no choice but to stand still.”

    A 45-year-old corporate professional brought along her 10-year-old to the concert, said, “At one point I started crying in panic because of the stampede while collecting tags.”

  • Stampede for ration kills 11 in Karachi including three children

    Stampede for ration kills 11 in Karachi including three children

    A stampede at a private charity food ration distribution site in Karachi’s SITE industrial area on Friday left at least 11 people dead, including three children.

    Eyewitnesses and rescue workers reported that several people fell into a nullah at the location during the stampede. Reports suggest that some of the victims were electrocuted as an electricity power-line had fallen into the nullah.

    Several people, including women and children, also fell unconscious during the incident.

    The Abbasi Shaheed Hospital received nine bodies and six injured victims, while the Civil Hospital received two dead bodies, bringing the death toll to 11.

    The incident is one of several recent deadly stampedes at free food and flour distribution sites across the country as the population struggles with rising inflation.

    The government launched the flour distribution programme to reach millions of families in need during the holy month of Ramzan that began last week.

    Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry into the incident and expressed sorrow over the loss of lives.

    Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman demanded a transparent inquiry and action against those responsible for the incident, blaming the government for the people’s carelessness.

  • At least 15 dead in stampede near Pakistan consulate in Afghanistan

    At least 15 dead in stampede near Pakistan consulate in Afghanistan

    At least 15 people were killed in a stampede among thousands of Afghans gathered outside Pakistan’s consulate on Tuesday as jostling broke out between people applying for visas, officials in the eastern city of Jalalabad said.

    An estimated 3,000 Afghans had congregated on the open ground outside the consulate, waiting to collect tokens needed to apply for a visa, two provincial officials told Reuters a day after the tragedy.

    The people had gathered to secure a permit after Pakistan introduced a new visa policy for Afghanistan to facilitate business and people-to-people contacts between the two countries. According to officials, the travel document, approved by the cabinet, will make it easy for Afghan citizens to acquire multiple entry visit visas, including those for long-term business, as well as investment and student visas.

    Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in eastern Jalalabad city, where the incident occurred said of the 15 people dead, 11 were women and several senior citizens were wounded.

    “The visa applicants jostled to secure their token from the consulate officials […] the crowd got out of control, leading to a stampede,” said an official in Jalalabad said.

    Tens of thousands of Afghans every year travel to neighbouring Pakistan to secure medical treatment, education and jobs. The two countries share a nearly 2,600-kilometre border.

    Pakistan hosts about 3 million Afghan refugees and economic migrants, who have fled violence, religious persecution and poverty in their war-torn country.

    Officials in the Pakistan embassy in Kabul were not immediately available for comment.