No fewer than six people lost their lives in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India, with several others injured, officials confirmed on Thursday, 9 January, 2025.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday, 8 January, 2025 as a massive crowd gathered to collect entrance tokens to the temple, one of Hinduism’s most revered sites.
Spokesperson for the ruling Telugu Desam Party in the state, Prem Kumar Jain, expressed grief over the incident.
“The unfortunate incident has claimed the lives of six devotees. I pray to God to give peace to the departed souls,” he told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his sympathies to the families of the victims, stating, “My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones,” read a statement from his office on social media platform X.
Deadly accidents during religious gatherings are a recurring issue in India, often caused by poor crowd management and safety lapses.
In July 2024, 121 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh during a similar Hindu festival. In 2016, a banned fireworks display at a temple in Kerala led to an explosion that claimed 112 lives.
The stampede comes just days before the start of the Kumbh Mela, a six-week Hindu festival of prayer and sacred bathing, which is anticipated to be the largest religious gathering in history. Organizers expect up to 400 million pilgrims to attend the event.
