At least six people have died and several more were injured during a stampede at Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam ticketing centre in Tirupati Wednesday evening.
There was unprecendented rush to get tokens for the Venkateshwara Temple in Tirumala on the auspicious occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadashi leading to the tragic incident. The injured have been rushed to Ruia government general hospital, Tirupati.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the deaths of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for tokens to visit Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara came as a shock.
“This tragic incident, which took place at a time when devotees had gathered in large numbers for tokens, deeply disturbed me. In the wake of information that the condition of some of them is critical, I have directed higher officials to go to the spot and take relief measures, to provide better medical treatment to the injured and save their lives. I am talking to the district and TTD officials from time to time and taking stock of the situation,” he said.
Opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed shock and grief over the deaths.