AT LEAST six people have died and 35 were injured in a stampede near the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh, authorities said on Thursday.
The incident occurred as thousands of devotees rushed to secure free passes to visit the temple, popularly known as Tirupati.
The period from Friday to 19 January is considered auspicious for visiting the deity at the nearly 2,000-year-old temple.
The stampede happened on Wednesday evening as people gathered outside a school where state authorities had set up counters to issue tickets from Thursday.
"The stampede took place when the gate was opened," said S Venkateswar, the district collector. "About 2,500 people pushed through the gate... a few fell."
Authorities are investigating the reasons behind the stampede. Tickets for the temple, usually priced at 300 rupees (£2.84), are typically sold online.
Video footage shared by ANI shows police struggling to manage the large crowd as people jostled for passes.
Venkateswar added that about a dozen of the 35 injured people taken to hospital remain under treatment.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which operates the temple, apologised for the incident and promised action against those responsible.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on X, saying, "My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones."
(With inputs from agencies)
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event