Considered one of India’s wealthiest temples has apologised after six other folks had been killed and dozens extra injured in a weigh down as they queued for tickets to a competition which pulls masses of hundreds each and every yr.The incident came about on Wednesday evening after hundreds amassed within the temple the city of Tirupati in southern Andhra Pradesh state.Visuals confirmed a swell of other folks jostling whilst the tickets had been being allotted at counters arrange by way of temple government.Officers within the state have stated strict motion will probably be taken towards temple staff who’re discovered answerable for the tragedy. BR Naidu, chairman of the temple’s consider, stated that the weigh down was once led to by way of “overcrowding”.”It’s an unlucky incident,” he informed native media on Wednesday. Bhanu Prakash Reddy, a board member of the consider, apologised for the incident. “To distribute tokens, we opened 91 counters… it’s unlucky that the stampede came about,” he stated. “This hasn’t ever came about within the historical past of the temple. I sincerely search an apology from the devotees.”Andhra Pradesh Leader Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed his sorrow over the incident – he’s because of seek advice from the website in a while Thursday. Top Minister Narendra Modi stated he was once “pained” by way of the incident and confident the ones affected that the state authorities would provide them “all imaginable help”.The Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh is considered one of Hinduism’s maximum sacred shrines. Devoted to Hindu god Sri Venkateswara – popularly referred to as Balaji – the temple owns belongings price tens of billions of bucks and is likely one of the richest in India.It draws just about 24 million devotees from India and in a foreign country yearly.Its 10-day Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan is regarded as a extremely auspicious tournament by way of devotees as they consider they are able to get a glimpse of the divine gates of heaven. Loads of hundreds attend the competition yearly, with the temple pronouncing it was once ready to obtain 700,000 other folks this time.On Wednesday, hundreds amassed to obtain tickets for the competition – which starts on 10 January – at greater than 90 counters arrange by way of the temple. Because the gates for the counters opened, other folks rushed in opposition to the counters, resulting in chaos, an eyewitness informed the Instances of India newspaper, including that there have been simply 4 police staff there.A number of studies say the police had a hard time managing the group.Government say the ones injured within the weigh down had been rushed to a government-run health facility for remedy.Injuries are automatically reported at spiritual occasions in India, as massive crowds accumulate in tight areas with little adherence to protection measures.Ultimate yr, greater than 120 other folks had been overwhelmed to dying at a spiritual tournament within the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Tirupati stampede: India temple apologises after six killed in weigh down
