Virat Kohli said he had no words after the joyful celebrations of RCB’s IPL win turned tragic, as 11 mostly young fans lost their lives in a crowd crush in Bengaluru.
On Wednesday, huge crowds filled the streets to welcome their hero Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team. This celebration came after RCB’s exciting win over Punjab Kings in the IPL final the day before.
The joy of the huge crowds in Bengaluru quickly turned into tragedy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “truly heartbreaking.”
Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said most of the 11 people who died were young. Around 47 others were hurt in a stampede that happened near the M. Chinnaswamy cricket stadium, where the players were showing the trophy to fans.
Kohli, who was the top scorer in the final, said the win was also for the fans. After 18 seasons, the 36-year-old finally got to celebrate his first IPL title.
Later, he shared his feelings on social media, saying, “At a loss for words” and “Absolutely gutted.” The RCB team also released a statement, saying they were “deeply anguished” by what had happened.
One injured woman told AFP that a “huge crowd” had crushed her. Speaking from a wheelchair, she said, “They stepped on me. I couldn’t breathe and passed out.”
Most of the people who died were young fans who had just come out hoping to see their favorite players.
Fan Dies While Wearing RCB Shirt
Manoj Kumar, a street food vendor, is heartbroken after his 18-year-old son died in the stampede. He said he had stopped his son from helping at the food stall so he could focus on his studies.
“I wanted him to go to college,” Kumar told the Indian Express newspaper. “I raised him with so much love and care. Now he is gone.”
Outside a city mortuary, a grieving mother said her 22-year-old son, an engineering student, also died in the crowd crush.
“He loved RCB so much,” she said, as reported by the Indian Express. “He was wearing an RCB shirt when he died. He celebrated when they won. Now he’s gone. Can RCB bring him back to us?”
Authorities had already canceled RCB’s planned open-top bus victory parade because they expected huge crowds. However, the celebration at the stadium still went ahead.
RCB’s official social media shared a video showing large crowds cheering and lining the roads as players waved from their team bus heading to the stadium.
The team later said they ended the celebration early “as soon as they heard about the tragic incident.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the stadium could only hold 35,000 people, but an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 showed up.