At least 10 people lost their lives in a stampede at Sri Venkteshwara Temple in Kasibugga town of Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam on Saturday, November 1. Several others were also reportedly injured in the stampede. Two children were reportedly among the deceased. The incident took place at around 11:30 am. Preliminary investigation revealed lapses which led to the stampede.
Several injured devotees were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. The death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured devotees are still in critical condition. Meanwhile, authorities have begun an inquiry into the incident.
According to reports, the temple was opened for devotees just four months ago. The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga is a private temple, not registered under the endowments department, reported ANI, quoting officials.
It has come to my notice that a temple named Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, in Kasibugga, was constructed by Shri Hari Mukunda Panda and is presently under private management. This temple does not fall under the purview of the Endowments Department,”Prasad Kumar Patnaik, Endowment Commissioner, told PTI.
The temple has been open to devotees for the past four months, following its completion. Today, being an auspicious day—Ekadasi, a large number of devotees, as is customary, visited the temple. However, due to a lack of proper arrangements by the temple management, the situation became difficult to manage,” he added.
Permission Not Sought From Authorities:
The media house further reported that the organisation that managed the temple did not inform authorities about a huge gathering of devotees on the occasion of Ekadashi.
Construction Work Still Pending:
The holy shrine is built on the lines of Tirumala Triputi Temple and is known as “Chinna Tirupati” or “Little Tirupati.” At the place where the stampede took place, the construction work was still underway.
Around 25,000 Devotees Thronged The Temple:
On Ekadashi, around 25,000 devotees gathered at the temple premises to offer prayers. However, due to the presence of a large number of people, the rallies installed to manage the crowd got uprooted, causing people to fall.
Same Exit And Entry Points:
Another reason for the stampede was that the temple reportedly had the same entry and exit point. As the railing fell, people rushed towards the exit gate in panic, making the situation even worse.
