NEW DELHI: A stampede at a temple in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh killed at least nine people early on Saturday, government officials said, with several injured.
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 Pawan Kalyan, the state’s deputy chief minister.
Officials said roughly 25,000 devotees were present at the time — far beyond the temple’s capacity — and that a railing gave way under the pressure of the crowd, triggering panic and a fatal crush as people surged towards the elevated first-floor shrine.
Local authorities said the site is privately managed and that the organisers had not sought official permission or informed government agencies in advance.
The dead include eight women and a young boy, authorities said. At least 18 people have been reported injured, with two critically wounded patients moved to a tertiary care hospital for specialist treatment, the district collector and magistrate Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar told reporters. Medical teams and district officials were mobilised immediately to attend to the casualties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained” by the tragedy and announced ex gratia payments of 200,000 rupees to the families of the dead and 50,000 rupees to the injured, the Prime Minister’s office said on social media.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu described the incident as “extremely heartbreaking” and ordered a full inquiry and strict action against those found responsible.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said an inquiry would look into crowd management lapses at the privately run temple.
How the crush unfolded
Witnesses and officials said the crush began when large numbers of devotees attempted to enter the shrine through a single access point; there were reportedly no separate entrance and exit routes.
District officials said a railing collapsed as devotees climbed to the elevated temple premises, exacerbating the chaos and leading to the surge. Local media and authorities highlighted failures in crowd control and event planning.
Authorities and analysts noted that such crowd surges remain a persistent risk at large religious gatherings in India.
Officials referenced recent fatal crowd incidents elsewhere in the country this year, underscoring concerns about safety at mass events and the need for stricter oversight of privately organised religious functions.
