Seven devotees killed after wall collapses at Andhra's Simhachalam Temple; CM announces Rs 25 lakh ex gratia
VISAKHAPATNAM: Seven devotees lost their lives and several others suffered injuries after a wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam during the annual Chandanotsavam festival in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident occurred in the Rs 300 queue line where devotees had gathered for the 'Nijaroopa Darshan' of the deity.
Officials stated that the wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall that occurred between 2:30 am and 3:30 am. The wall, constructed just 20 days ago, is suspected to have given way due to the downpour.
However, the exact cause for the wall collapse is still under investigation. The collapse took place shortly after the temple's hereditary trustee, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, offered silk robes to the deity as part of the traditional ritual.
The deceased have been identified as Kumpatla Manikanta Eswara Sesha Rao (29) and Pathi Durga Prasad Naidu (30), both natives of Korlapativaripalem, Machavaram in Ambajipeta mandal of Konaseema (Dr B R Ambedkar) district and residents of Visakhapatnam; Yedla Venkata Rao (58) from Mamidithota area in Visakhapatnam; Pilla Mahesh (30) and his wife Pilla Sailaja (27) of Chandrampalem in Madhurawada; Sailaja's aunt Gujjari Mahalakshmi (65), a resident of HB Colony; and Sailaja's mother Pyla Venkata Ratnam (45), also from Visakhapatnam. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire services, and police were deployed immediately.
Visakhapatnam district Collector M N Harendhira Prasad, Police Commissioner Dr Shanka Brata Bagchi, and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha visited the site and supervised relief efforts.
CM N Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep sorrow over the incident and held a teleconference with ministers A Ramanarayana Reddy, D Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Vangalapudi Anitha, A Satya Prasad, MP Bharat, and temple trustee Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
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