New Delhi: Six pilgrims died, while over 40 were left injured in a stampede in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati on Wednesday evening. After the incident, eyewitnesses and the families of victims shared their horrific accounts, shedding light on the chaos that led to the deadly rush.
One of the eyewitnesses, who was with her family of 20 at the time of the incident, said the stampede occurred when the police opened the gates for token distribution near the Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara ticketing counter.
“A stampede occurred due to the heavy rush. As soon as the Police officials opened the gate, the pilgrims rushed to purchase tokens. There was no such system for obtaining tokens earlier. Out of twenty members of my family, six have been injured. We joined the queue at 11 O’clock. While waiting in the queue, we were provided with milk and biscuits. However, a large number of male pilgrims rushed for tokens, causing injuries to several women, who were then shifted to the hospital,” PTI quoted her as saying.
Among those who died in the stampede was Mallika, whose husband shared how his wife was caught in the deadly crush during the ritual. “While my wife and others were trying to obtain Vaikunta Dwara Darshan tickets, a stampede occurred, resulting in her death. I have informed our relatives and they are on their way…” he said.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Thursday confirmed that six people had lost their lives in the incident adding that the authorities are constantly monitoring the situation.
“It is an unfortunate event, 6 pilgrims lost their lives. So far, only one pilgrim has been identified, while the others are yet to be identified. N Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is very serious about the incident and has expressed dissatisfaction with the officials’ management during a teleconference. The Chief Minister will visit the families of the deceased tomorrow at 11:45 am. CM has warned that such incidents should not be repeated and is closely monitoring updates on the issue,” the TTD statement read.
