India stampede: Six dead as thousands gather for free pass to visit Hindu temple

HYDERABAD: At least six people were killed and several others injured late on Wednesday in a stampede in southern India after thousands of devotees queued outside one of the most visited Hindu temples to collect tokens for a free visit to the deity.

Authorities had set up counters at a school to issue tokens from Thursday for devotees to visit The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, popularly known as the Tirupati, in Andhra Pradesh state during Jan. 10-19, a period considered auspicious by the locals, the Indian Express reported.

People started queuing from as early as Wednesday for the tokens to visit the almost 2,000-year-old temple and pushed and jostled leading to the stampede, according to the office of the chief minister of the state.

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“Pained by the stampede in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones,” India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X.