Nine people, including eight women and a boy, were killed in a stampede at the unregistered Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday.
Police stated that the tragedy occurred when an iron grill collapsed, causing devotees to fall from a height of around 7 feet.
Nearly 3,000–5,000 people gathered for the religious event. Two injured are in critical condition.
Srikakulam SP KV Maheswara Reddy told the media, “It’s a private temple built on private land. No permission was taken, and police were not informed about the event.” He added that both entry and exit shared the same narrow queue line, leading to overcrowding.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed shock over the tragedy, offering condolences to the victims’ families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ₹2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the PMNRF.
Officials confirmed the temple was not registered with the Endowments Department. Authorities said poor crowd management and a lack of permissions led to the fatal stampede. An inquiry has been ordered.
