Several feared dead in stampede outside cricket stadium in India

Fans cheer as the bus carrying Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricketers arrives at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India (Aijaz Rahi/AP)

Several people were feared dead and many more injured in a stampede on Wednesday outside a cricket stadium in southern India’s Karnataka state.

The incident happened as thousands of cricket fans gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru city to celebrate the winners of the Indian Premier League, which is the world’s most popular T20 cricket tournament.

Indian authorities did not immediately confirm the number of deaths. But India’s NDTV broadcaster reported at least 11 people had died in the crush, while The Times of India newspaper reported seven dead.

An ambulance arrives at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium (Aijaz Rahi/AP)

Local TV news channels showed visuals of police shifting the injured people and those who fell unconscious to ambulances.

DK Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister of Karnataka state, told reporters that “the crowd was very uncontrollable”.

The event was being held to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first Indian Premier League title win on Tuesday.