At least 9 dead in stampede in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam temple

Hyderabad: At least 10 people, including nine women and a thirteen-year-old child, died in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday morning.

Known as "Chinna (Small) Tirupati" in the surrounding areas, the temple was opened just four months ago by a private religious trust. It operates independently of the state's endowments department oversight.

The tragedy occurred during the temple's first Ekadashi celebration of the holy Karthika month, drawing thousands of devotees from early morning. Police reports indicated the stampede began when temple gates opened, creating a dangerous surge at the entrance. A metal railing collapsed under the mounting pressure as two groups of devotees collided, one attempting to enter the sanctum through the exit gate while another group was exiting after darshan.

Seven devotees died at the scene, while three others succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Fifteen people were shifted to the community health center in Palasa, where three remain in serious condition and the rest are stable.

Designed to accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 visitors, the temple faced an unprecedented influx of nearly 25,000 devotees on Saturday. The absence of official permissions and adequate planning intensified the disaster.

"There are designated entry and exit gates for the sanctum. However, as crowds surged throughout the morning, some people attempting quick entry or unfamiliar with the layout tried entering through the exit gate. As devotees streamed out from the same gate after darshan, confusion erupted, eventually causing the queue railing to collapse and triggering the stampede. It happened right before our eyes. An unfortunate tragedy," recounted an eyewitness among the thousands gathered at the newly opened temple who had been waiting since morning for darshan.

Rescue and medical teams rushed to the scene alongside local MLA Gouthu Sireesha, Minister K Atchan Naidu, and Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, who cut short an official visit to Bhopal and arrived from Delhi upon learning of the disaster.

Visuals from the stampede captured heartbreaking scenes of numerous women trapped in a narrow space flanked by handrails, puja baskets still in their hands, many gasping for air and screaming for help.

The disturbing footage showed women struggling against each other, attempting to climb over railings to escape. Many cried desperately for help as some men tried pulling them to safety. Additional visuals show relatives administering CPR and rubbing victims' palms in desperate attempts at revival.

Further disturbing images from the temple premises revealed devotees lying motionless on the ground in the tragedy's aftermath.

Minister K Atchannaidu told reporters that ten perished as thousands of devotees descended upon the newly constructed Venkateswara temple, where management allegedly failed to implement adequate crowd-control measures.

"Though the temple was not widely known regionally, over 20,000 devotees unexpectedly arrived today. The temple trustees failed to alert authorities about the anticipated rush," the Minister said.

The crowd-control railing collapsed, causing people to tumble down a staircase from the first-floor temple, resulting in chaos and trampling.

A heartbroken mother was seen wailing over her son's lifeless body, her anguished cries of "Won't you get up?" echoing through the premises.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan expressed grief, stating the government will take all possible measures to ensure injured victims receive optimal treatment. He requested the administrative machinery to regulate crowds at temples statewide during spiritually significant days to prevent such accidents.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the stampede incident caused shock and the devotees' deaths were extremely heartbreaking. "I have requested local officials and public representatives to visit the incident site and oversee relief measures," he said.

"Pained by the stampede at Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of the deceased. The injured will receive Rs 50,000," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Similar temple stampede incidents in Andhra:

Tirupati (2025): Six devotees died and dozens were injured in a Tirupati stampede as pilgrims jostled for tickets to enter through the Vaikunta Dwaram for darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy at the Tirumala hill shrine during Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam in January 2025, resulting in dangerous overcrowding.

Rajahmundry (2015): At least 27 pilgrims died and 20 were injured during a stampede at the Maha Pushkaralu on the Godavari river banks in Rajahmundry. The event draws millions during its twelve-year cycle. The stampede occurred as exiting pilgrims collided with those entering for the ritual dip in July 2015.

While Srikakulam collector Swapni Dinkar Pundkar put the death toll as 10, district superintendent of police K V Maheswar Reddy said it was only nine.

"Nine only, (Condition of) one person is a bit serious. He is not dead. Total nine people. One child is there, a 12-year-old child; the remaining (victims) are all female. And it is a private temple. It is not a government temple. It was constructed recently,” said Srikakulam Superintendent of Police KV Maheswara Reddy. The police official clarified that the incident was a result of a railing collapse near the steps, which led to panic. The public thought that something was falling and panicked. They fell from a height of about six feet. Since the collapse was from a height of six feet, one person fell on another, and that led to the incident, he added. "It is purely an accident and due to the owner's negligence. They haven't applied for police bandobust, there were no permissions also," said Maheswar Reddy

Acting on the Chief Minister’s instructions to take stern action against those responsible, Collector Swapnil formed a three-member committee. The committee includes the Tekkali RDO, an ASP, and the Assistant Commissioner of the Endowments Department. The Collector instructed them to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a detailed report.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that even though such a large event took place at the temple, the organizers did not provide prior information to the police or officials. He said that if they had informed earlier, suitable security arrangements would have been made. “While the government continuously strives to ensure that not a single life is lost, it is extremely unfortunate that such incidents occur during private events, leading to the loss of innocent lives, ” Naidu said and added that a full-scale investigation has been ordered into the tragedy. Following the inquiry, strict action will be taken against those responsible for the stampede, said Naidu.