Stampede kills 6 at Andhra cinema hall

At least five persons were killed and dozen others were injured when they came in contact with live wire during stampede at a theatre at Salur in Vizianagaram district screening the box office hit “Magadheera” on Sunday, Ashok Das reports.

At least five persons were killed and a dozen injured when they came in contact with a live wire during a stampede at a theatre in Vizianagaram district’s Salur area.

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Police said the tragedy took place on Sunday when a crowd of ticket-seekers climbed the parapet wall of the booking counter at Sri Lakshmi Talkies, screening “Magadheera”.

A police officer from Salur police station said the cinema-goers who had climbed on the windows lost control and caught hold of an electric wire and fell on the crowd along with the live wire.

After this there was a stampede. The injured were admitted to a Vizianagaram hospital. Five persons were taken to the Salur Community Health Centre, where they were declared dead on arrival.

“Five were electrocuted... One of the injured, B. Jagadeeswara Rao is in a critical condition and was shifted to the district headquarters hospital,” Vizianagaram Superintendent of Police Y. Gangadhar said.

This was the third such incident after the film’s release last week, which reportedly claimed two lives in Warangal and one in Kurnool districts due to short-circuit and electrocution.