The stampede that claimed six lives at Tirupati was caused by "overcrowding", said the Chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), who manages the famous Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh.
TTD Chairman BR Naidu was speaking to reporters after visiting the Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati, where he met the injured and reviewed their condition with doctors.
Calling the incident "unfortunate," Naidu stated that a detailed report would released soon and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu would provide further information about the incident.
"The reason (for the stampede) is overcrowding. It is an unfortunate incident. Tomorrow CM will tell everything, today the complete report will come. A total of six people have died, some are from Tamil Nadu and some are from Andhra Pradesh. As of now, one body has been identified and five are yet to be identified," Naidu said.
Meanwhile, TTD Board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy has apologiesed for the incident and stated that the trust would conduct an inquiry in this regard and take appropriate action.
Speaking to reporters, TTD Board Member Bhanu Prakash Reddy said that around 40 individuals were injured in the stampede and are receiving treatment in the hospital.
"To distribute tokens for 'Ekadasi Darshan', we opened 91 counters. It is unfortunate that stampede happened. This has never happened in TTD history. I sincerely seek an apology from the devotees. We will conduct an inquiry and take serious action," he added.
As many as six people lost their lives and several others were injured after a stampede broke out near the Tirupati temple on Wednesday evening.
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