Visakhapatnam Temple Tragedy: Wall Collapse During Chandanotsavam Festival Kills 7 Devotees

A religious celebration turned tragic in Andhra Pradesh early on Wednesday morning, as a 20-foot-long stretch of a newly built wall collapsed at the Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam, killing at least seven people and injuring four others during the Chandanotsavam festival.

The incident occurred around 3:00 AM, when thousands of devotees had gathered for the temple's annual ‘Nijaroopa Darshan’. The victims were reportedly standing in a Rs. 300 ticket queue when the wall, constructed just 20 days ago, collapsed. As per the preliminary reports, heavy rainfall and soil loosening are likely to be the cause of the structural failure.

Rescue operations were immediately launched by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). District Collector Harendra Prasad confirmed that all debris has now been cleared, and rescue work has concluded.

Vinay Chan, Principal Secretary of Endowment Department, said, "So it is not appropriate for us to conclude on the reasons for the incident. Prima facie, we have noticed that there was a downpour between 2.30 AM and 3.30 AM in the early hours. We are investigating the incident... Currently, we have information that about eight people have died. All the debris has been cleared...Rescue work has been concluded..."

The injured devotees have been rushed to local hospitals for treatment. 

BJP former MLC Madhav called the incident ‘unfortunate’ and assure that the government will investigate the incident and will compensate the victims.

PM Modi Condoles Simhachalam Temple Tragedy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.