Nine devotees die in stampede at Andhra temple; PM Modi expresses grief

At least nine devotees mostly women and children lost their lives in a tragic stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga in Andhra Pradeshs Srikakulam district during the Ekadashi celebrations on Saturday as the massive gathering of worshippers led to chaos and panicDisturbing visuals from the temple premises showed bodies of devotees lying on the ground as rescue teams and locals rushed to help the injuredEarlier videos from the temple showed massive overcrowding with hundreds of women holding puja baskets jostling on a staircase in a frantic attempt to save themselvesPrime Minister Narendra Modi who is in Chhattisgarh expressed his grief over the incident and announced compensation for the victimsPained by the stampede in Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam Andhra Pradesh My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones I pray that the injured recover soon he said the PMO said in an X postThe PM also announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the PMNRF to be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives while the injured would be given Rs 50000Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed the incident deeply saddeningDeeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the stampede at the Kashibugga Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam Andhra Pradesh My condolences to the families of the devotees who lost their lives Praying that the injured may recover at the earliest he said in a post on XAndhra Pradesh Governor Justice S Abdul Nazeer retd expressed anguish and profound grief on the death of the pilgrims due to the heavy rushGovernor of Andhra Pradesh Sri S Abdul Nazeer expressed anguish and profound grief on the death of nine pilgrims in the stampede that took place in Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Kasibugga in Srikakulam district on Saturday due to heavy rush of pilgrims the Andhra Raj Bhavan said on XThe Governor offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and directed the district administration to provide better medical care to the injured pilgrimsExpressing shock and grief Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu described the tragedy as heartbreakingThe stampede at the Venkateswara Temple in Kasibugga Srikakulam district has deeply shocked me The loss of devoteesrsquo lives in this incident is extremely tragic I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families I have instructed officials to ensure prompt and proper treatment for the injured he said in a statementThe Chief Minister also directed local authorities and public representatives to visit the site and personally oversee the relief and rescue operationsIn a post on X Naidu further said The stampede at the Kasibugga Venkateswara Temple in Srikakulam district has left a deep impression It is extremely sad that devotees have lost their lives in this unfortunate incident I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased I have directed the authorities to provide the best possible treatment to the injured I have asked the local authorities and public representatives to visit the site of the incident and monitor the relief effortsState Minister and Telugu Desam Party TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh also expressed his sorrow over the incidentIn a post on X he wrote The stampede at the Kasibugga Venkateswara Temple which resulted in the death of several devotees is deeply shocking There was a great tragedy on the day of Ekadashi I express my deepest condolences to the families of those who died The government is providing better medical treatment to those injured in the stampede As soon as I received the information I spoke to the authorities the district minister Atchannaidu and the local MLA Gauthu Sirisha I have ordered immediate assistance to the victimsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever