After nine people were killed and several others injured in a deadly stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam district's Kasibugga, the Andhra Pradesh government has revealed chilling details on what led to the tragedy.
The Chief Minister's Office stated that the stampede occurred mainly due to overcrowding.
VIDEO | Andhra Pradesh: Stampede reported at Venkateswara Temple in Kashibugga in Srikakulam district; several devotees injured, rushed to hospital. More details are awaited.
(Source: Third Party)#AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/dOJxEI4JHC
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 1, 2025
"A stampede took place at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam district, leaving several people injured. The incident occurred as a large crowd gathered at the temple on the occasion of Ekadashi. The heavy rush of devotees led to overcrowding, resulting in a sudden stampede," the Andhra Pradesh CMO stated.
Many were injured or suffered breathlessness and were admitted to local hospitals.
The authorities revealed that the temple was privately managed and not registered under the state's endowments department. Known as 'Chinna Tirupati', the temple generally draws a lot of crowd on Saturdays. But November 1 was also an Ekadashi day, which brought in more devotees than usual.
The Ekadashi event was organised without government permissions and safety clearances.
The temple only had a single access point for entry and exit but more than 15,000 devotees turned up, which the temple management did not anticipate. Survivors recalled that chaos broke out when the only gate of the temple was abruptly opened, letting those who completed their darshan to come out, while another group tried to enter.
Adding to the chaos, the area was under construction, making it unsafe for the devotees. The grill installed to regulate the queue of devotees also collapsed as the crowd pushed, causing many of them to fall while others were trapped under the grill. The sudden confusion worsened the situation as the crowd could not move out of the narrow passageways. |
