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
an hour ago
- Time of India
Hours after renting flat, youths call man, shoot him over Rs 10 lakh
Noida: Two youths, who took up a house on rent in Sector 12 on Wednesday, allegedly killed a 40-year-old man at the same place hours later. Two people called Ompal Bhati — hailing from Bulandshahr and a resident of Sector 94 — to Sector 12 on Wednesday afternoon. Bhati, who ran a currency exchange in Sector 18, allegedly took Rs 10 lakh with him, Ompal's brother Jitendra Solanki said. Solanki believed that his brother was murdered by people who stole the money from him. An ironer who worked opposite the building claimed that she was at her shop when the bullet was fired. A few seconds after the firing, two people came out of the house and tried to snatch the bag from each other. There was a fight between the two. Both of them fled within a few seconds, she said. DCP Yamuna Prasad said the incident took place in Sector 24 police station area, adding, police are scanning CCTV footage. The DCP said, "The youths took the flat on rent on Wednesday by paying the token amount. In the evening, the landlord heard the sound of a gunshot and later went to check. He found the deceased in the house. The youths fled, leaving their scooter behind," the DCP said, adding that footage has revealed that Ompal wasn't carrying any bag. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo The house is on the first floor of the building, while the landlord, Pradeep Kumar Kashyap, and his family occupy the other two floors above and below it. According to Kashyap, a young man named Pawan and his friend visited the locality on Tuesday to find a house on rent. They returned around 12.30pm on Wednesday and paid Kashyap a token amount of Rs 1,000, with the promise to provide the rent amount of Rs 12,000 and their Aadhaar cards by the evening. The youths then began to clean the house. Around 2pm, the youths called Bhati to meet them at the house and the three stayed inside for about 90 minutes. Around 4pm, the gunshot was heard and Kashyap called out to the youths to find out what happened. They allegedly told him their air cooler fell that made the noise. However, a crowd gathered, prompting Kashyap to check the house. Upon finding Bhati's body, Kashyap informed the police.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
HDFC Bank says it has commenced legal action against Lilavati Trust over loan default issue
HDFC Bank on Wednesday said it 'has commenced the process of taking legal action permissible under law to vindicate its position' over allegations of a loan default by Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMM), which runs a leading medical institution. 'We are concerned about all our stakeholders and are on the verge of taking strong legal actions as per expert advice, against those who are initiating these baseless allegations with malafide and ulterior motives or involved in propagating the same,' an HDFC Bank spokesperson said in a statement. 'Despite repeated public claims and legal accusations, Sashidhar Jagdishan or HDFC Bank has never produced a single official loan ledger or agreement in court regarding its supposed transaction with LKMM Trust. Even more concerning, various documents from the bank reflect widely inconsistent loan amounts for instance, Rs 4.8 crore was cited initially, Rs 450 crore in another filing, and now Rs 65.22 crore which are just three examples of many of the company in question,' LKMM alleged in a statement, 'The allegations and insinuations made by the trustees are devoid of any iota of truth whatsoever. Neither the bank nor its CEO have engaged in any activity that is illegal, unethical or improper,' HDFC Bank spokesperson said. 'We are fully compliant with the laws of the land and follow the highest standards of governance and ethics. The content, timing and manner of allegations demonstrate the devious objective of preventing the Bank from carrying out its legal mandate of recovery and enforcement,' the bank spokesperson said. The Trust had last week called for the suspension and prosecution of HDFC Bank MD and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan, accusing him of involvement in a series of financial frauds concerning the Trust. 'Despite all the noise, not a single official loan ledger has been presented in court of LKMM trust or Prashant Mehta,' said Prashant Mehta, Permanent Trustee of LKMM. 'How can one of India's largest banks make three different claims about a single loan, and not back it up with a basic loan agreement and ledger?' Mehta said. 'LKMM Trust and Prashant Mehta maintains it has never taken a loan from HDFC Bank, and these inconsistencies support that claim, rather than refute it,' the Trust said.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Claims made by HDFC Bank don't add up: Lilavati Trust; HDFC denies charges
In a fresh attack on HDFC Bank MD and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan, Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMM Trust) on Wednesday said the claims made by the bank about a single loan are not consistent and it has never produced any official loan ledger or agreement in court regarding its transaction with the Trust. Refuting allegations, an HDFC Bank spokesperson in a statement said the allegations and insinuations made by the trustees are devoid of any iota of truth whatsoever and neither the bank nor its CEO has engaged in any activity that is illegal, unethical or improper. The LKMM Trust manages and runs the prestigious Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. Various documents from the bank reflect widely inconsistent loan amounts for instance, Rs 4.8 crore was cited initially, Rs 450 crore in another filing, and now Rs 65.22 crore, LKMM said in a statement. "How can one of India's largest banks make three different claims about a single loan, and not back it up with a basic loan agreement and ledger?" LKMM Prashant Mehta, Permanent Trustee wondered. The LKMM Trust and Prashant Mehta maintained that they had never taken a loan from HDFC Bank, and these inconsistencies support that claim, rather than refute it. The bank's refusal to present even basic documents in court undermines the credibility of the entire case and hints at deliberate narrative manipulation, it alleged. The Trust also alleged that the Rs 2.05 crore bribe money was paid to HDFC Bank MD and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan to help Chetan Mehta group remain illegally in control of the LKMM Trust. However, the HDFC Bank's spokesperson said, "We reiterate our unequivocal, categorical and unambiguous denial and condemnation of these egregiously malicious, false and defamatory allegations and insinuations." The bank said it is concerned about its stakeholders and is on the verge of taking strong legal actions as per expert advice, against those who are initiating these baseless allegations with malafide and ulterior motives or involved in propagating the same. Members of the public and media are urged to exercise their critical judgement in reporting or amplifying the unsubstantiated allegations and insinuations, the spokesperson added.
