Fans faint, several injured during Team India's T20 World Cup victory parade

Thousands of fans gathered at Marine Drive in Mumbai to celebrate Team India’s T20 World Cup victory parade, but the event was marred by chaos as fans faced issues such as breathing difficulties and fainting due to the packed crowd.

The Indian cricket team on Thursday participated in a two-hour open bus parade from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point to Wankhede Stadium in the city.

Eyewitness Ravi Solanki described the scene as “very disorganized and lacking proper management,” saying, “I was coming from the office and came to know that the Indian team would reach here between 5 pm-6 pm, which did not happen. The crowd kept increasing. The police were not managing the situation. People suddenly started shouting, after which some people fell on each other. It was very unorganized. There was nobody to manage.”

#WATCH | Maharashtra: “…The crowd started increasing and there was no protection from the police. Nothing was streamlined. As the team arrived people started shouting and those standing ahead of me fell…,” says Ravi Solanki, a cricket fan present at Marine Drive during the… https://t.co/ZDWk0LZ8Ng pic.twitter.com/7Ynl1fdQz9

— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2024

Another fan, Rishab Mahesh Yadav, who reportedly fell unconscious during the parade, recounted, “The crowd was increasing. I fell and got choked. I became unconscious. I was taken to the nearby hospital, where I received treatment. I feel fine now. The crowd was more than necessary. There was mismanagement. The police were also not alert.”

The Indian cricket team participated in a two-hour open bus parade from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) to Wankhede Stadium, waving the T20 World Cup trophy.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) presented the team with a cheque of Rs 125 crores at Wankhede Stadium, commemorating their historic victory.

India had defeated South Africa in the final to secure their first ICC trophy since 2013, with the Rohit Sharma-led team becoming the first to win the competition unbeaten.