Tirupati, Jan 9: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday visited the stampede spot in Tirupati that claimed the lives of six devotees and pulled up officials for failing to make proper arrangements for the distribution of tokens for an annual event at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.

Soon after landing at Renigunta Airport, the Chief Minister drove to Vishnu Nivasam and later to Padmavati Park, where two separate incidents of stampede took place.

Accompanied by ministers, he went around the two places and asked officials including the District Collector, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer, Joint Executive Officer and police officials why they failed to anticipate a huge turnout of devotees and accordingly make arrangements.

Visibly unhappy with the officials, the Chief Minister inquired about the incident and the arrangements made by the TTD and district administration for the distribution of tokens for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam.

The Chief Minister asked TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao why he did not use technology and took other steps for crowd control for the smooth conduct of the token distribution.

CM Naidu told TTD officials to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future. The Chief Minister later visited TTD-run SVIMS Hospital and called on the injured.

He assured them that the government would extend all possible help.

A total of 48 persons were injured in the stampede. They were initially shifted to SVR Ruia Hospital. Of them, 35 were shifted to SVIMS Hospital for better treatment.

Meanwhile, police registered two cases in connection with the stampedes at Padmavati Park and Vishnu Nivasam.

Earlier, Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, who is in charge of Tirupati district, visited the SVIMS hospital along with his cabinet colleagues and announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Irrigation Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu and Information and Public Relations Minister K. Parthasarathy visited the hospital.

The bodies of the deceased were being sent to their home towns after autopsy. The deceased were identified as S. Lavanya (38), Kandipalli Santhi (33), G. Rajini (47) (all from Visakhapatnam), Malliga (50) of Tamil Nadu), Buddeti Naidu Babu (55) of Narsipatnam and V. Nirmala (55) from Kerala.

New Delhi, Jan 8: At least 126 people were killed, 188 were injured and over 1000 houses collapsed after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, according to media reports.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) confirmed that the earthquake occurred at 6:35 a.m. (IST) on Tuesday morning, with its epicentre at latitude 28.86°N and longitude 87.51°E, at a depth of 10 km. The location was identified as Xizang (Tibet Autonomous Region), near Nepal’s border.

News agency reported that the fatalities were concentrated in the city of Xizang, with many injuries and structural damage also recorded.

In Tonglai Village, Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze (Shigatse), several houses have reportedly collapsed.

The earthquake also sent tremors across northern India, affecting areas such as Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Delhi-NCR, causing panic as residents rushed out of their homes. Fortunately, no casualties or property damage have been reported in India so far.

Two aftershocks followed the initial quake — a 4.7-magnitude tremor was recorded at 7:02 a.m. (IST), with its epicentre at latitude 28.60°N and longitude 87.68°E, at a depth of 10 km and another 4.9-magnitude quake struck at 7:07 a.m. (IST), with its epicentre at latitude 28.68°N and longitude 87.54°E, at a depth of 30 km.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) pinpointed the earthquake’s location 93 km northeast of Lobuche, near the Nepal-Tibet border. Lobuche lies near the Khumbu Glacier, approximately 150 km east of Kathmandu and 8.5 km southwest of Everest Base Camp.

Nepal, situated in a highly seismically active zone where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, is no stranger to earthquakes. This tectonic activity, which forms the Himalayan region, often results in seismic events of varying magnitudes.

Authorities in Nepal and affected Indian regions remain vigilant, closely monitoring the situation. The earthquake has renewed concerns in an area historically vulnerable to devastating seismic activity.

Mumbai: A major fire broke out late Monday night at the Sky Pan Building in Oberoi Complex near Laxmi Industrial Estate in Andheri (West). The blaze was confined to electric wiring, installations and household articles in a flat on the 11th floor of a 13-storey building. The fire was reported by a citizen at 10:02 pm and the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) declared it a Level-II fire at 11:20 pm.

Visuals Show Massive Fire In High-Rise

Visuals surfaced on the internet show a massive blaze engulfing two particular rooms of the flat in the high-rise. Thick black smoke can be seen billowing from the scene as the fire continued to turn the household articles to ash. There are no reports stating the exact amount of damage caused by the major fire.

Multiple agencies, including BMC’s MFB, ward staff, police, the 108 ambulance service and Adani Electric distribution company, were mobilised to handle the emergency. Resources deployed included one ADFO, three Senior Station Officers, eight fire engines, two turntable ladders, two high-pressure pumps, eight jumbo tankers, one breathing apparatus van, an all-weather tactical truck, one water tanker and a quick-response vehicle.

Details On The Casualties

The fire was successfully extinguished by 1:49 am, as confirmed in a later update. However, the incident resulted in two casualties. According to information from Kokilaben Hospital, Raunak Mishra, a 38-year-old, suffered from severe suffocation and is currently under medical observation. Tragically, 75-year-old Rahul Mishra was brought to the hospital and declared dead on arrival due to asphyxiation.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities are working to ensure safety protocols are reinforced in residential high-rises, particularly concerning electrical installations and emergency preparedness. Further updates are awaited.