Stampede at Temple in India Leaves Six Dead

At least six people have died after being crushed in a stampede during a Hindu religious gathering at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with several others injured. Officials confirmed the incident on Thursday, stating that a large crowd had gathered to collect entry tokens for the temple visit when the stampede occurred on Wednesday. Prem Kumar Jain, a spokesperson for the state’s ruling Telugu Desam Party, said, “This unfortunate incident has claimed the lives of six devotees. I pray to God to give peace to the departed souls.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. His office stated on the social media platform X, “My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones.” Deadly accidents during major religious festivals are common in India due to poor crowd management and safety lapses. In July last year, 121 people died during a Hindu religious gathering in northern Uttar Pradesh. Another 112 people died in 2016 after a massive explosion caused by a banned fireworks display at a temple in southern Kerala. Wednesday’s incident occurred just days before the Kumbh Mela, a six-week Hindu festival of prayer and sacred bathing, is set to begin. Organizers expect up to 400 million pilgrims to attend.