9 die as crowd surge sparks temple stampede in Andhra Pradesh
The incident occurred at the two-storey Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Srikakulam district when thousands had gathered on the occasion of “Ekadashi”, considered an auspicious day in the “Karthika” month for devotees
At least nine people, including a teenager, were killed and three others were critically injured in a stampede at a temple in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday amid a rush of devotees, officials aware of the matter said.
The incident occurred around 11.45am at the two-storey Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Srikakulam district when thousands had gathered on the occasion of “Ekadashi”, considered an auspicious day in the “Karthika” month for devotees.
“A total of nine people died in the stampede, seven on the spot and two others while undergoing treatment at the Palasa community health centre. Fifteen others are being treated at the same facility, and the condition of three is critical,” the state government said in an official statement.
According to police, the stampede broke out as devotees were climbing a narrow staircase leading to the first floor of the temple, which has no separate entry and exit points. A railing gave way under pressure from the surging crowd, causing people to fall on each other.
“An initial investigation suggests that an iron grill installed to manage queues of worshippers broke, triggering the crowd surge,” Srikakulam Superintendent of Police (SP) KV Maheswara Reddy said.
The government statement said that there were close to 15,000 devotees in the temple at the time of the incident, which temple authorities said was far more than what they had expected.
“Usually around 1,500 to 2,000 devotees visit the temple, but today the numbers were unexpectedly high. We didn’t anticipate such a turnout, so no prior intimation was given to the police,” said 80-year-old Hari Mukund Panda, who constructed the temple.
Videos shot at the temple showed scores of people trapped in a narrow passage flanked by handrails, jostling for space and gasping for air. “It was a horrific scene. Several women were lying unconscious, and there were no volunteers or security personnel to help the victims,” G Swathi, a devotee from Cherukupalli village, said.
Another eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity , said that the stampede occurred in the women’s queue as devotees scrambled for space. “The barricades meant to control the crowd movement could not withstand the pressure and collapsed. In the resulting chaos, narrow passageways became deadly as thousands tried to push their way out,” the witness said.
The deceased were identified as Rapaka Vijaya (48), Muripinti Neelamma (60), Duvvu Rajeswari (60), Chinni Yosodamma (56), Ch. Lotla Nikhil (13), Eduri Chinnammi, Rupa (who went by one name), Dokkara Ammulamma, and Bora Brunda. The ages of some victims were not immediately known.
The government statement said the temple is managed by a private trust and is not registered with the Endowments Department. It was built by Panda on his own land, modelled after the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati.
“It was inaugurated only in July and has become popular in the area as ‘Chinna Tirupati’. The area where pilgrims gathered was still under construction,” the statement said.
Stampedes in the country, both at religious gatherings and public events, have been a recurring tragedy, exposing chronic lapses in crowd management and safety preparedness.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu called the incident “heartbreaking” and said the temple management failed to inform police in advance about the likely crowd surge, preventing adequate arrangements. “An individual constructed the temple. Many devotees went there for darshan. They did not inform the police. Had they done that, proper arrangements could have been made,” he said, adding that strict action would be taken against those responsible.
People aware of the matter said the police have registered an FIR in the case, but details about the sections invoked or the individuals named were not immediately available.
The police blamed the temple management for negligence. “It is purely an accident and due to the owner’s negligence. They did not apply for police bandobust, and no permission was also sought,” Reddy said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who lost their lives and ₹2,000 to the injured. “Pained by the stampede in Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon,” he said in a post on X.
State IT minister Nara Lokesh announced ex gratia of ₹15 lakh to each of the bereaved families and ₹3 lakh to each of the injured
President Droupadi Murmu also condoled the loss of lives. “I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for quick recovery of those injured,” she said in a post on X.
Former chief minister and YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy also offered condolences and launched an attack on the state government. “This repeated loss of innocent lives reflects the inefficiency of Chandrababu Naidu’s administration,” he said, urging the government to take serious corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
