SRIKAKULAM, India (Kashmir English): At least nine people were killed in stampede at a Hindu temple in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, state officials said.
They said that nine people were crushed to death after a massive crowd surge at the temple.
The stampede occurred as worshippers crowded into the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in the city of Srikakulam on Ekadashi, a day Hindus consider auspicious, said the state’s deputy chief minister, Pawan Kalyan.
“An inquiry will be conducted into the tragic incident,” Kalyan said in a statement, adding that private individuals run the temple. He put the death toll at nine.
Abdul Nazeer, Governor Andhra Pradesh, expressed his “profound grief on the death of nine pilgrims in the stampede”.
State minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy said as many as 25,000 devotees crowded into the temple, which could accommodate only about 2,000, leading to the crush.
A total of 18 injuries were reported, Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, the collector and magistrate of Srikakulam district said, while two critically injured patients have been moved to a tertiary care hospital for treatment.
The government has announced to pay compensation of $2,300 to the families of the dead, and $570 to the injured, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.
Modi extended his condolences to those “who have lost their near and dear ones”. “I pray that the injured recover soon,” Modi added.
Deadly stampedes in India
Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence in India during big gatherings and religious festivals.
