More than 100 spectators were injured, with 20 said to be in critical state, after a stand erected at the 47th National Junior Kabaddi Championship in Suryapet, Telangana collapsed on Monday.

Fans thronged to the SP Office grounds in Suryapet for the start of the junior kabaddi nationals. Three temporary stands were erected for the event, each at a height of 20 feet and a width of 240 feet.

The incident occurred during the inaugural ceremony at around 6:30 PM.

“The total capacity of each stand is around 1,500. However, there was a heavy rush at the event and the spectators occupied the gallery more than its capacity, which led to the collapse of the stand all of a sudden,” an eyewitness told The Siasat Daily.

R Bhaskaran, Superintendent of Police in the Suryapet district of Telangana, said that preliminary investigations revealed that the incident occurred because the stand’s structure was weak and was overcrowded. One report claimed that some 2,000 fans were seated in each stand.

The injured were immediately shifted to local hospitals in Suryapet. Those who were critical were taken to hospitals in Hyderabad. No deaths were reported.

The competition, organised by the Telangana Kabaddi Association in association with the Kabaddi Association of Suryapet district, has over 1,500 players from across 29 states register for the event. All players and officials were safe.

Pro Kabaddi and national team star Ajay Thakur is a part of the six-member selection committee that will keep an eye on probables for India. 

Over 5,000 people were present as spectators for the commencement of the tournament with state energy minister G Jagadish Reddy and state sports minister V Srinivas Goud in attendance when the untimely accident took place.

Feature image courtesy: Pro Kabaddi