Devastating Stampede at Sri Venkateswara Temple Leaves Six Dead and Many Injured

In Tirupati, a devastating event occurred during the distribution of Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan tokens, leading to a deadly stampede. This unfortunate incident resulted in six fatalities, among them three women, and left several others injured. The injured are currently receiving medical attention at Ruia Hospital. The stampede happened near the Sri Venkateswara Temple, specifically at the Satyanarayana Puram Bairagipatteda Ramanayadu School, where the tokens were being distributed.

The distribution aimed to facilitate devotees' entry through the Vaikuntha Dwara, a special gate that only opens during this period, starting early at 5 am. Despite the planned orderly process through 94 counters across nine locations, an overwhelming number of devotees gathered by the evening. The situation escalated when the gate was opened to assist someone feeling unwell, triggering a rush among the crowd and leading to the tragic outcome. Authorities expect the number of injuries to increase.

Collector Venkateswar and TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao are actively overseeing the response to this crisis, ensuring the injured receive prompt medical care. To manage the aftermath and prevent further incidents, vigilance and police forces have been stationed in the area. The City Commissioner has assured that the situation is now under control.

On the day of the incident, tokens for the first three days of Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan, specifically for the 10th, 11th, and 12th of this month, had been successfully issued that morning. The TTD has announced that tokens for subsequent days will be available at Vishnu Niwasam, Sri Niwasam, and Bhudevi Complex on the designated days, aiming to continue the spiritual tradition while ensuring the safety of all devotees. This tragic event has prompted a reevaluation of crowd control measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.