Tirupati stampede : At least six people were killed and several others injured after a stampede broke out near Tirupati's Vishnu Nivasam during the distribution of Vaikunta Dwara Sarva Darshan tokens on Wednesday. Hundreds of devotees jostled for tickets for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, which is set to begin on January 10.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep shock over the devotees' death in the stampede, said the CMO in a statement.
Meanwhile, visuals from the spot showed a sea of people struggling to find space, with police officials trying to manage the overcrowding at Vishnu Nivasam.
Officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) noted that they had made arrangements for the distribution of the 1.20 lakh tokens from Thursday morning 5:30 am at 94 counters at three pilgrim lodges, namely, Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, and Bhudevi Complexes, besides other places like Satyanarayanapuram, Bairagipatteda and Ramanaidu school.
However, they added that the pilgrims began thronging the lodges from Wednesday itself.
