30-04-2025
Techie couple among eight killed in Andhra Simhachalam temple wall collapse
A young couple from Visakhapatnam and two residents of Ambedkar Konaseema district were among the eight people who lost their lives in a wall collapse near the Simhachalam temple in Andhra Pradesh early Wednesday of the deceased were identified as 30-year-old Pilla Umamaheswara Rao and his 26-year-old wife Shailaja, residents of Chandrampalem near Madhurawada in Visakhapatnam. Both were software engineers working remotely for companies based in Hyderabad. The couple, who had been married for three years, had queued up around 2 am for the Rs 300 special darshan when the wall gave way, killing them described Umamaheswara and Shailaja as warm, friendly and full of promise.
In the same incident, two men from Ambedkar Konaseema district also lost their lives. The victims were identified as 26-year-old Kumpatla Manikanta Easwara Sesha Rao and 33-year-old Patti Durgaswamy Naidu, both residents of Korlapati Varipalem in Ambajipet. They were among the many devotees who had gathered for the Simhadri Appanna Chandanotsavam when the structure least eight people died, and several others were injured, after a cement wall on the temple premises collapsed — reportedly due to heavy rainfall. The incident, which took place during the annual Chandanotsavam celebrations, plunged multiple families into mourning and cast a shadow over what is typically a joyous religious gathering. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the incident and assess the structural safety of the temple
IN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
