Andhra Pradesh stampede: How sudden crowd triggered Kasibugga temple tragedy, killing 10 devotees | Vijayawada News
VIJAYAWADA: A religious gathering turned deadly on Saturday at the Venkateswara Swami Temple in Kasibugga, Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, after a stampede killed ten devotees and injured several others.The incident occurred when a large crowd gathered at the temple on the occasion of Ekadashi. Preliminary reports point to overcrowding, poor crowd management, and a lack of official permissions as key factors behind the tragedy.How It Happened:
- The crowd swelled beyond control, leading to a stampede at Venkateswara Swami Temple premises.
- Several devotees collapsed as people rushed forward at once to enter the temple.
- The entry and exit points were the same, creating a bottleneck and worsening the chaos.
- The area where pilgrims gathered was under construction, further reducing space for movement and contributing to the crowd crush.
Lack Of Permissions And Oversight:
- The temple was a private shrine, not registered under the Endowments Department.
- No approvals were taken by the event organisers for the large gathering.
- The state government was not informed about the event in advance.
Officials believe that poor crowd management, lack of safety planning, ongoing construction, and absence of official clearance collectively led to the tragedy.CM Chandrababu Naidu Expresses GriefAndhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the stampede at the Venkateswara Temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam district. He directed officials to ensure prompt and proper medical treatment for the injured and instructed local authorities and public representatives to visit the site and supervise relief operations.In a post on X, chief ninister Naidu said, “The stampede incident at the Venkateswara Temple in Kashibugga in Srikakulam district has caused a shock. The death of devotees in this tragic incident is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. I have instructed the officials to provide speedy and proper treatment to those who have been injured. I have requested the local officials and public representatives to visit the site of the incident and oversee the relief measures.“
