NEW DELHI - At least 11 people were killed and 50 others injured Wednesday in a stampede outside a cricket stadium in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, multiple local media reports said.
The stampede occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city, where thousands of cricket fans gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) first Indian Premier League (IPL) title victory.
"The injured have been admitted to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and Vaidehi Hospital. Seven succumbed to their injuries at Bowring Hospital, while the other four breathed their last at Vaidehi Hospital," a New Delhi-based news channel News18 said.
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RCB picked up the title after 18 years, prompting frenzied crowds to swell in and around the stadium to watch their cricket stars.
The event was organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association to felicitate RCB players. Although the participation in the event was only for people with valid tickets and passes, fans thronged the venue to catch a glimpse of their team's cricketing heroes.
RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the IPL final at Ahmedabad on Tuesday night.
Reports said the stampede broke out at gate numbers 3, 10 and 21 at the stadium. Following the incident, authorities have closed three metro stations -- Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha, and MG Road -- which fall within a five-km radius of the stadium.
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Eyewitnesses said police and volunteers shifted injured and unconscious people to the nearby hospitals.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar acknowledged the deaths, but did not confirm the number.
"I apologize for the overcrowding," he said. "We arranged more than 5,000 personnel. This is a young vibrant crowd, we can't use lathi (baton) on them."
Television channels showed thousands of people, some of them waving the team's red flag, lined the streets leading up to the stadium as the cricket team arrived at the venue in a bus.
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The IPL is a multi-billion-dollar cricketing tournament played in India. For the tournament, top cricket players from the cricketing world and Indian players purchased by franchise teams representing Indian cities take part in the contest.
The tournament evokes a wide range of viewership in the country and thus attracts advertisers.
Over the years, IPL's brand value has increased due to its popularity, commercial success, and media rights auction. Reports say the IPL is currently worth $12 billion in brand value.
