Simhachalam Temple wall collapse kills 7 devotees
In a tragic incident seven devotees including four women died and many were injured when a wall collapsed following rains at the famous Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Simhachalam near here on Wednesday
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: In a tragic incident seven devotees including four women died and many were injured when a wall collapsed following rains at the famous Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Simhachalam near here on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when the wall fell on a large number of devotees near Rs.300 ticket counter, who were waiting for their turn to have the darshan of the presiding deity of this region. The day attracted a sea of humanity including many from neighboring Telangana, Chattisgarh and Odisha to participate in the annual Chandanotsavam festival.
Police, NDRF and security forces were rushed to the spot for rescue and relief operations.
The tragedy stuck a few months after a stampede when pilgrims were in a queue to buy Vaikunta Ekadasi tickets. The incident left six dead and a dozen people injured.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep shock over the tragedy and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He also ordered an enquiry into the incident and best possible medical care to those injured.
He took to X to say "I am very sad over the death of seven devotees at Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy's Chandanotsavam. My deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased who died during a wall collapse due to heavy rains. I spoke to the District Collector and SP on the situation. I ordered the injured to be treated. I review the situation from time to time."
YSRCP president and former Chief Minister expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families and blamed the TDP-led for the second major temple tragedy. He said the incident exposed carelessness and apathy of the government on crowd management and arrangements required to avoid such incidents.
