A stampede near the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in India resulted in the deaths of at least six people and injuries to 35 others. Thousands of devotees had gathered at the temple in Andhra Pradesh to secure free visit passes during an auspicious period. The incident occurred when a gate was opened, causing a rush of 2,500 people, resulting in some individuals falling and being trampled. Tickets for the temple visits are typically sold for $3.50 each, but free passes were being distributed at a nearby school.
Video footage showed police struggling to manage the crowd, leading to the stampede. The temple operator, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), apologized for the incident and promised to take action against those responsible. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu visited the site and the injured in the hospital, while the main opposition party blamed the state government for the tragedy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims and their families. The cause of the stampede was still under investigation, but the overcrowding and pushing by those waiting for passes were identified as contributing factors. The incident highlighted the need for better crowd management and safety measures during auspicious events at popular religious sites in India.
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