Vizag temple tragedy snuffs out four in a family, eyewitnesses demand better crowd management

For natives of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, the Simhachalam temple is a revered religious centre. For devotees of Lord Narasimha Swamy, the presiding deity of the temple, there cannot be a more auspicious occasion than Chandanotsavam, celebrated annually. On this day, a rare spectacle occurs, as the deity is presented in its raw form, uncovered by sandalwood, unlike the rest of the year.

 

This year’s Chandanotsavam was scheduled for Wednesday, with festivities set to begin by 1 a.m. and devotees allowed entry from 4 a.m. following certain age-old customs and formalities. However, a tragic incident unfolded during the event, leading to the death of seven devotees. A wall, constructed just three weeks earlier, collapsed in the early hours after the region experienced heavy rain and winds. Preliminary assessments suggest that rainwater loosened the soil around the wall, causing it to collapse onto the queue. This queue was meant for those who had availed the Rs 300 ticket.

 

The injured and the deceased were pulled out from under the debris amid chaos and darkness.

 

Eyewitnesses recounted their experiences. A middle-aged woman who was in the queue told the media that she had been standing exactly at the spot where the wall collapsed but decided to move away as the crowd kept swelling. She said that minutes later, the wall gave in.

 

Several others blamed the administration for poor crowd management and for mixing lines of devotees from various ticket categories. Some demanded better facilities at the temple premises to prevent such incidents in the future.

 

Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed at the accident site and later outside the hospital and mortuary where the injured and deceased were taken.

 

Sympathies poured in for a family from Vizag who lost four members. Among the dead were Shailaja and Mahesh, a married couple and IT professionals based in Hyderabad and originally from Vizag. Shailaja’s mother and another close family member also died in the wall collapse. Grief-stricken family members were seen wailing outside the King George Hospital mortuary.

 

The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the incident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the kin of the deceased. A compensation of Rs 3 lakh was also announced for the injured. AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held meetings with officials and monitored the rescue efforts and the treatment of the injured.

 

The NDRF, SDRF and other government departments worked through the night to rescue those trapped and retrieve the deceased. The Prime Minister expressed condolences and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakhs to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

 

India