8 killed in wall collapse at temple in Andhra Pradesh's Simhachalam
At least eight people died, and several others were injured after a cement wall collapsed at the Simhachalam temple in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam in the early hours of Wednesday.The wall collapsed while devotees were standing in a queue for the Rs 300 ticket near the shopping complex on the Ghat Road from Simhagiri Bus Stand.The incident occurred during the annual Chandanamahotsavam celebrations at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple.advertisement
According to sources, temporary arrangements were made as part of the festival preparations, including tents that were put up to accommodate the large number of devotees anticipated for the festival. It is learnt that the cement wall that collapsed was from a new under-construction structure next to the tents. In the wee hours of Wednesday, heavy rains lashed the region for over an hour. Given Simhachalam's hilly terrain, the soil reportedly came loose, causing the tents and temporary structures to give way and fall onto the newly constructed wall — allegedly leading to the collapse.Rescue operations were underway, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and fire and police departments deployed at the site. Injured devotees were moved to hospitals under the supervision of the NDRF and the SDRF.advertisementOfficials say the devotees had queued up for darshan since the early hours, crowding the area.Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu condoled the deaths. 'I am saddened by the death of seven devotees... My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this incident due to the collapse of a wall due to heavy rains. I have spoken to the district collector and SP about the situation there,' he said, adding that he was monitoring the situation closely.Since the Chief Minister's post on X, the death toll has risen further.
Home Minister V Anitha reached the spot and was closely monitoring the situation along with the District Collector and Police Commissioner. She also oversaw the rescue operations in the wall-damaged area.Minister for Endowments Anam Ramanarayana Reddy expressed shock and grief over the incident. 'It is most unfortunate that seven devotees lost their lives in a wall collapse due to heavy rains,' he said in a statement from Amaravati. He assured that orders had been issued to provide the best treatment to the injured and confirmed that an enquiry had been launched into the incident. 'The government will stand by the families of the victims,' he added.advertisementVisuals from earlier in the day showed devotees, including Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams chairman BR Naidu, offering silk clothes (pattu vastras) to the deity.
IN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bank fraud case: Court rejects plea of accused to take part in trial without bail
Kanpur: Special Judge Companies Act Azad Singh on Tuesday rejected the plea of two accused who sought permission to appear and participate in the trial of Rs 7,820 crore bank fraud case without seeking bail. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The judicial official not only dismissed their application but also ordered that a date be fixed every week in the case. June 17 has been fixed as the next date of hearing. The accused applicants, Sunil Verma and Anoop Kumar Verma, had submitted an application before the court to allow their participation in the trial. Kaushal Kishore Sharma, special prosecutor for the case, strongly opposed the plea, stating that without obtaining bail they can not be allowed to participate in the proceedings. The Companies Act contains special provisions regarding bail, which override those in the Cr PC. Consequently, the judicial official dismissed the application and fixed June 17 as the next date of hearing. Sharma stated that the Serious Fraud Investigation Office had lodged a complaint against 69 accused on behalf of several banks in bank fraud amounting to Rs 7,820 crore. Some name and famed persons of the city were also implicated in the case while as many as 20 accused were residing abroad and their files had been separated from the main case. Sharma mentioned that the court had already issued a non-bailable warrant against the accused, Satish Chandra Gupta, who is living abroad. The two accused Sunil Verma and Anoop Kumar Badhera had approached the apex court, where an order was passed that no coercive action should be taken against them, although their application is still pending. On Monday last, they moved an application before the court, which was dismissed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now One of the accused, Vikram Kothari, has died, while others such as Rahul Kothari, builder Vishwanath Gupta, industrialist Suyash Desari and others have obtained bail orders in their favour from the apex court. The special prosecutor added that both accused have also applied for permission to travel abroad, and the court has reserved its order on that prayer. Speaking with TOI, the special prosecutor stated that the accused had formed a company for mercantile trading. They acquired a letter of credit from a bank, claiming that the company would purchase rice from one country and sell it in another. However, they used the funds for personal gains and only displayed sales and purchases on paper. The corporate ministry detected the nexus and ordered the Serious Fraud Investigation Office to lodge a complaint in the Companies Act court in 2020. Kanpur has the Companies Act court, which is the only one in Uttar Pradesh.
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
42-year-old man commits suicide in Sajeti
Kanpur: A 42-year-old man took his own life by hanging in the Sajeti area on Monday, following alleged harassment from the police and his in-laws. The family claimed that after his wife filed a complaint, the station in-charge physically assaulted him and extracted Rs 15,000 from the family through the forced sale of their harvest before his release. The man ended his life after returning home. The local MLA visited the site and demanded strict action against the accused police officials. Subsequently, DCP (South) Deependra Nath Chowdhary suspended the sub-inspector and constable, while ordering serious charges against them along with the deceased's wife and father-in-law. Jeetu Nishad from Kotra village in the Sajeti police station area was employed in the private sector in Surat, Gujarat. He lived with his wife Suman and their three daughters. Having stayed in the village for approximately three months, Jeetu recently had a disagreement with his wife, who subsequently moved to her parents' house in Birbal Akbarpur. According to Jeetu's father, Ramesh, a few days ago, when Jeetu visited his in-laws to bring back his family, he faced physical and verbal abuse. Upon police notification, Jeetu endured mistreatment at the Kotra village police post on Sunday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free Chess. No Ads. Just Fun Play Classic Chess Install Now Undo The police then demanded Rs 15,000 for his release, which was arranged by selling wheat. Dejected over this, Jeetu returned home the same day and ended his life in his room. After Jeetu's father informed MLA Saroj Kureel about the incident and sought action against the police and in-laws, the DCP South visited Kotra village late at night. He suspended SI Gaurav Sahooliya and head constable Ravi. DCP said, "A case was registered at Sajeti police station against the accused officers, Jeetu's father-in-law Ram Kishore, and his wife Suman under serious charges. Further investigations are on. "
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
Four held in Cachar with Rs 45cr drugs
Silchar: Police seized drugs valued at approximately Rs 45 crore and arrested four individuals in Cachar district. The recovery was announced by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on 'X' handle on Monday evening, reports BB Goswami. The CM said during two successful anti-narcotics operations, Cachar police confiscated 1.5 lakh Yaba tablets valued at Rs 45 crore. The operations were reportedly carried out based on credible intelligence, leading to the arrest of four suspects involved in the drug trade. While the CM highlighted the success of the operation and reaffirmed Assam's commitment to combating drug abuse, Cachar police is yet to release an official statement. Silchar: Police seized drugs valued at approximately Rs 45 crore and arrested four individuals in Cachar district. The recovery was announced by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on 'X' handle on Monday evening, reports BB Goswami. The CM said during two successful anti-narcotics operations, Cachar police confiscated 1.5 lakh Yaba tablets valued at Rs 45 crore. The operations were reportedly carried out based on credible intelligence, leading to the arrest of four suspects involved in the drug trade. While the CM highlighted the success of the operation and reaffirmed Assam's commitment to combating drug abuse, Cachar police is yet to release an official statement.
