Three injured in stampede after 'Garuda Seva'

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUMALA, SEPT. 25. Three devotees were injured, one of them seriously, in the stampede that took place at the conclusion of the auspicious `Garuda Seva' festival on Monday night.

There was a heavy congregation of pilgrims at the Vahana mandapam where the festival was to conclude, situated in the vicinity of the main temple complex. The T.T.D. management as a precautionary measure had erected iron barricades in the Vahana mandapam area. The crowd was so heavy that all the measures taken by the T.T.D. proved insufficient leading to the stampede.

The injured were identified as Ms. Vatsala Bai (79), from Mumbai, Ms. Geetha (19), from Tirupati, and Kishore (17) from Pakala.

According to temple sources, it is believed that the devotees standing close to the barricades could not withstand the pressure from the crowd at their back and fell onto the barricades.

While Ms. Vatsala Bai and Ms. Geetha suffered compounded injuries on their lower limbs, Mr. Kishore sustained bleeding head injuries. All the three were immediately rushed to the T.T.D.-run Aswini hospital. The medical officer, Mr. P.N.Subbarayudu, and his team attended the injured and after detailed diagnosis sent them to Tirupati for further medical care. While the women were referred to SVRR Orthopaedic Department, Mr. Kishore was referred to SVIMS superspeciality hospital. However, the condition of all the three is said to be stable.

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Section  : Southern States
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