Authorities said Thursday that thousands of pious Hindus gathered at one of India’s most popular and wealthy temples to obtain free admission passes, resulting in a stampede that left at least six people dead and 35 injured.
Visits to the deity at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, often called Tirupati, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, where Wednesday’s tragedy occurred, are said to be most fortunate between Friday and January 19.
The district collector, or top revenue official, S. Venkateswar, told reporters on Thursday that the stampede started as the gate was unlocked. “A couple of the roughly 2,500 people who rushed through the barrier fell.
He noted that investigators were still attempting to identify the reason of the rush. The approximately 2,000-year-old shrine typically sells tickets online for Rs300 ($3.50) each.
According to a police complaint, the incident happened outside a school a few kilometres from the temple, where state officials had set up kiosks to issue fines starting on Thursday between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.
In footage released by news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, police were seen straining to control the growing mob.
About a dozen of the 35 injured who were transported to the hospital were still receiving treatment, according to Venkateswar, who added that the rush was caused by people lining up early for the passes, pushing and jostling one another.
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