A crowd surge at a well-liked Hindu temple in southern India left at the least 12 individuals lifeless and dozens injured, native authorities stated Saturday. The loss of life toll rose from 9 to 12 individuals on Saturday, CBS Information confirmed.
The incident occurred on the Swamy Venkateswara Temple within the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh state the place tons of of devotees had gathered to mark considered one of Hinduism’s sacred days, “Ekadashi,” senior police officer Okay. V. Maheswra Reddy informed the Related Press.
On at the present time, the devotees quick and provide prayers to Lord Vishnu, a key Hindu deity often known as the preserver and protector of the universe, in accordance to BBC Information.
An preliminary investigation means that an iron grille meant to keep up the queue of worshippers on the temple broke, resulting in the uncontrolled crowd surge, Reddy stated.
Senior native authorities official Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar stated extra casualties had been feared. “Initially, we had reviews of seven deaths, however two extra individuals have succumbed to their accidents, whereas the situation of two others is vital,” he stated.
Of the deceased, eight are girls and one is a toddler, Pundkar stated, including that at the least 16 devotees injured within the crowd surge are being handled at a neighborhood hospital, whereas 20 others are in a state of shock and put beneath remark at a unique hospital.
Video footage on native media confirmed individuals speeding to assist those that fainted within the crowd surge and had been gasping for breath. Some had been seen rubbing the fingers of those that fell on the bottom.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh’s highest-elected official, N. Chandrababu Naidu, expressed grief and provided their condolences to the households of the bereaved.
State authorities in Andhra Pradesh stated the placement was a personal temple on 12 acres of land and wasn’t beneath the management of the federal government administration. Regardless of its most capability of three,000, the group swelled to round 25,000 on Saturday, officers stated.
“Preparations weren’t made accordingly, nor was info offered to the federal government by the involved particular person. That is the rationale for the accident,” the state’s fact-check unit stated in an announcement on social media.
Naidu vowed strict motion towards these chargeable for the lethal stampede and ordered an inquiry into the incident, in line with native media.
Crowd surges at spiritual gatherings usually are not unusual in India, the place huge teams typically congregate at temples or pilgrimage websites, typically overwhelming native infrastructure and safety measures.
In July, a crowd surge at a well-liked Hindu temple in northern India left at the least six individuals lifeless and dozens injured. No less than 30 individuals died in January in the course of the Kumbh Mela pageant within the northern metropolis of Prayagraj. A month later, at the least 18 individuals had been killed at a railway station in New Delhi whereas on the best way to the pageant.
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