9 killed, many hurt in Andhra temple stampede, CM Naidu orders inquiry

At least nine persons — eight women and a boy — were killed and many others injured at a stampede which occurred at Venkateswara Swamy temple here in Srikakulam district on Saturday. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has ordered a probe into the incident.

Andhra Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said the temple, a private one and not under the Endowments Department, usually witnessed a turnout of 1,500 to 2,000 devotees every Saturday.

On Sunday, the place drew a large crowd due to Ekadasi coinciding with 'Karthika Masam'.

According to the minister, the temple is located on the first floor, and when the devotees were climbing, the railing broke, resulting in the people standing at a corner falling on one another.

One of the survivors said the approach to the temple was narrow, with only a single entry and exit point, which led to a buildup of devotees on both sides and resulted in chaos.

At least seven of the dead are in the age group of 35-40.

Expressing grief over the incident, Chief Minister Naidu said a full-fledged inquiry would be done into the incident.

Addressing a gathering in Sri Sathya Sai district, Naidu blamed the organisers for not informing the police in advance, due to which adequate security measures could not be arranged.

Srikakulam Superintendent of Police (SP) KV Maheshwara Reddy said it was mandatory for temples to take permission from the police when they organise events, irrespective of the strength of the turnout.

Incidentally, the police provided security to other temples in the north Andhra district today, but the SP said the owner of this particular temple, Mukunda Panda, failed to inform them.

According to Reddy, Panda built and opened the temple without the requisite permissions.

Panda, 95, who had built the temple, told the media that he did not expect so many people to turn up at the temple, as he had never witnessed huge crowds before.

Meanwhile, the SP said cases were being registered under culpable homicide charges.

The police official clarified that the incident was a result of a railing collapse near the steps, which led to panic. "The devotees fell from a height of about six feet on each other," he added.

A devotee said, “As people jostled, we fell down. The steel grill was also very weak. As the grill broke, which was held as a support, all fell down." A doctor at a state-run hospital in Palasa said nearly 30 people came with injuries and breathlessness.