Andhra temple tragedy: 9 killed in stampede; no prior approval, crowd overwhelms premises

SRIKAKULAM: A stampede astatine a privately tally temple successful Srikakulam territory of Andhra Pradesh killed 9 devotees - 8 women and a 13-year-old lad - and near much than 25 injured Saturday morning, aft a railing illness connected a constrictive staircase caused panic successful a assemblage of implicit 20,000 gathered for Karthika Ekadashi.

The toll whitethorn emergence arsenic the information of immoderate of the injured is critical.The Venkateswara Swamy temple, located astatine Kasibugga nether Palasa mandal and modelled connected the Tirumala shrine successful Tirupati, was built by 94-year-old Hari Mukund Panda from Odisha and opened conscionable 4 months ago. One gross serving some introduction and exit, mediocre assemblage control, and deficiency of authoritative clearance turned the pilgrimage into chaos. "Nobody is liable - it was an enactment of god," Panda said.

District constabulary main KV Maheswara Reddy said the main sanctum sits connected the archetypal level with astir 20 steps starring to it. "A railing on the staircase, believed to beryllium poorly constructed, collapsed and caused a idiosyncratic to fall, triggering panic arsenic the packed assemblage surged forward," helium said.Calling the deaths "extremely heart-breaking", CM N Chandrababu Naidu said: "Had constabulary been informed successful advance, they could person implemented a assemblage absorption plan.

Those liable volition look action."

With nary anterior approval, temple overwhelmed by festival assemblage

Srikakulam: The Venkateswara Swamy temple astatine Kasibugga, visited by astir 3,000 devotees connected Saturdays, saw a assemblage astir 7 times that fig connected the time of the stampede arsenic it was the archetypal Karthika Ekadashi since the temple's inauguration. With nary anterior support for the gathering oregon capable security, the fewer guards were overwhelmed.District constabulary main KV Maheswara Reddy said temple authorities failed to alert constabulary oregon the territory medication astir the festival and the apt crowd.

Police person registered a lawsuit nether conception 100 (culpable homicide) of BNS and detained 4 temple unit for questioning. The shrine is not registered with Andhra endowments department, which oversees thousands of temples statewide. "Everything looked good astir 9am, but abruptly the fig of devotees surged. The constrictive stairway was choked. I was adjacent erstwhile the railing broke and radical started falling implicit each other," said R Ramanamma, a devotee.The deceasad were E Chinnammi (46), R Vijaya (48) from Tekkali; M Neelamma (60) from Vajrapukotturu; D Rajeswari (60), G Rupa (50), B Brunda from Mandasa; Ch Yasodamma (56) from Nandigam; D Ammulamma from Kasibugga; and L Nikhil (13) from Sompeta. Two women - B Kalavathi and R Kumari - stay critical. "I person instructed officials to guarantee attraction for the injured," CM Naidu said. PM Modi said helium was "pained" by the tragedy.

"I commune that the injured retrieve soon," helium said, announcing Rs 2 lakh ex gratia to each victim's household and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Saturday's crush was the 3rd large temple calamity successful Andhra this year.

How a 94-yr-old man’s mini-Tirupati shrine turned into a tract of death

Faith met fury of destiny Saturday greeting astatine Kasibugga successful Srikakulam erstwhile a temple calved of 1 man’s devotion turned into a tract of death. Nine devotees were crushed to decease astatine Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple, built by 94-year-old Hari Mukund Panda, reports Umamaheswara Rao.Panda, primitively from Odisha, had dreamed of gathering the shrine aft an “unsatisfactory” darshan astatine Tirupati a decennary ago. His parent Hari Vishnupriya had urged him to physique a temple of their own. That proposition became a mission. On 12 acres of household land, Panda created a near-replica of Tirumala — implicit with rituals, architecture, and traditions — to bring Lord Venkateswara person to devotees of northbound coastal Andhra and confederate Odisha.The temple, locally known arsenic ‘chinna-Tirupati’ (mini-Tirupati), opened 4 months ago. It was built wholly with Panda’s ain funds — nary donations, nary trustees. The 9ft single-stone idol of Lord Venkateswara was carved successful Tirupati and dominates the sanctum. Hundreds of different divine idols dot the complex, blending Odisha’s sculptural benignant with southbound Indian temple design.But connected the temple’s archetypal large festival — Karthika Ekadasi — devotion overwhelmed design.

The Ekadasi tithi began astatine 9.10am, and wrong minutes, volunteers were overrun.Beyond the temple, Panda is known for quiescent philanthropy — feeding hundreds of mediocre and otherwise abled radical weekly, backing pensions and arranging transport from Palasa railway presumption to his orchard for Monday meals. Panda said, “I built this temple to connection devotees peaceful and escaped darshan of Lord Venkateswara, not to witnesser specified deaths.”