Temple stampede in India’s Andhra Pradesh kills at least 9

At Least Nine Die in Stampede at Temple in India's Andhra Pradesh

A devastating stampede broke out on Saturday at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibuga, Andhra Pradesh, leaving at least nine people dead and several others injured. The incident occurred as a large crowd of worshippers gathered to participate in a Hindu religious ceremony.

According to officials, nearly 25,000 devotees attended the event, far exceeding the temple's capacity. Chaos erupted when a railing collapsed under the weight of the crowd, prompting panic among those present. An inquiry into the tragedy has been pledged by Pawan Kalyan, the state's deputy chief minister, bringing the death toll to nine.

The victims include eight women and one young boy, with at least one more person seriously injured. Authorities have condemned the stampede, stating that the temple was not equipped to handle such large crowds. The privately managed temple had failed to secure official approvals and was not informed of the event by authorities, leaving them unable to provide adequate security.

The Indian government has taken note of the incident, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his "pain" over the stampede. An ex-gratia payment of 200,000 Indian rupees (approximately $2,260) will be made to the families of the deceased, while injured individuals will receive 50,000 rupees ($565) each.

The incident highlights a growing concern about crowd safety and security in India's temples and other public gathering places. In recent years, several similar incidents have occurred, including a recent stampede at a temple that killed nine people and another incident in which a crowd crush killed at least 39 people.

man this is just devastating I mean 25k people at one temple it's crazy how many lives were lost because of some poor railing collapsing and the fact that the temple wasn't even equipped to handle such crowds is just heartbreaking

I'm wondering how many more incidents like this will happen if we don't take concrete steps to improve crowd safety measures in our temples and public gatherings ... we can't keep relying on luck alone, something needs to change

I'm totally against the idea of huge crowds at temples and public events ... I mean, who thought it was a good idea to overcrowd a place like this? But on the other hand, shouldn't we be giving people more freedom to express themselves and their faith? The temple should really have been prepared for something like this though, with better security measures and crowd control . I'm so angry that they didn't take it seriously, but at the same time, aren't we being too strict by cracking down on these events? It's just a shame that nine people lost their lives over this... RIP to them . The government is doing the right thing by investigating and providing compensation, but shouldn't they be looking into why the temple was allowed to operate without proper oversight in the first place?

man this is just heartbreaking ... 9 lives lost in a place where people are supposed to find solace & peace what does it say about our society when we can't even keep the peacekeepers safe? thinkin bout the families of those who perished, how's they gonna cope with losin so many loved ones in one go... and the infrastructure failin on top of that, like it was just a matter of time for this to happen & yeah, 25k people is a lot but still shouldn't be enough to justify puttin lives at risk. its all about prioritizin security over convenience i guess

Omg this is so sad what happened with the temple not having enough space for all those ppl? how did no one see that it was too crowded? i feel bad for the families of those who died 200k rupees isn't much, is it? does anyone think this will happen again if they dont secure the temples better? what's being done to make sure ppl are safe when they go to these events now?

another devastating temple tragedy in india... can't believe the number of lives lost 9 is just too many ... temple authorities are always worried about crowd control but it's not enough apparently 25k people shouldve never been allowed inside in the first place and what really gets me is that they didn't get any official approvals or even informed by authorities like, how do u manage this kind of disaster? and now the government has to deal with all the backlash and sympathy... poor families of the victims will be getting some relief money but i'm not sure it's enough just more and more stampedes happening in india & elsewhere... need better crowd management systems ASAP

This is just so senseless... Nine lives lost due to overcrowding and poor management at the temple I'm still trying to process how it could've happened, especially with all those officials around to ensure everything's safe. It's like they were caught off guard, not knowing their own limits . And to think, it was a religious ceremony meant to bring people together... instead, it turned into chaos and tragedy . The fact that the temple wasn't equipped to handle such crowds is just another layer of incompetence . We need to do better, India! Let's make sure these kinds of incidents never happen again

OMG, this is just so heartbreaking ... I mean, it's always devastating to see such tragedies happen, especially when innocent lives are lost. Nine people, including eight women and one young boy... how can we even process that number? It's a huge safety concern, no doubt about it. The temple management and authorities really dropped the ball here... not securing approvals and failing to provide adequate security is just ridiculous. And what's with this crowd control issue in India? It seems like these events are becoming all too common . I hope the government takes concrete steps to address these issues, but at the same time, it's hard to stay optimistic when faced with such tragedy

It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees

I'm just so shocked by this tragic incident... it's heartbreaking to think about the families who lost loved ones and those who are still injured. The fact that the temple wasn't equipped to handle such large crowds is just unacceptable . It's like they were expecting everyone to just magically show up and not overstep any capacity limits . As a parent, my instincts would be screaming at me to take action, but I know authorities are trying their best to investigate and make things right .

It's also really concerning that this happened again in India... all these incidents need to get some serious attention from the government and the temple management . I hope they learn from this tragedy and implement some real safety measures to prevent such disasters from happening in the future . And can we please talk about crowd management? It's like, how hard is it to plan for these events?!

Ugh, just what I needed to see on my Saturday morning . Another tragic event in India's temples. I mean, who doesn't love a good crowd-control fail? It's not like it's a matter of life and death or anything... Nine lives lost and several more hurt because someone forgot to check the capacity of the temple. And, of course, the privately managed temple wasn't equipped with proper security measures. Because, you know, they didn't want to spend any money on it . Anyway, I'm sure the ex-gratia payment will help the families of the victims... or maybe just be a nice gesture for social media likes .

man this is just getting crazy what's going on with these crowds in India? it's like they're not even considering the safety of their own people temples are supposed to be places of peace and worship, but now it feels like they're breeding grounds for disaster and yeah, poor kids like that young boy who lost his life - it just breaks my heart authorities need to step up their game and make sure these events don't happen in the first place

just when i thought india was making progress on safety stuff... what's up with these temples? 25k people crammed into one place is crazy talk! no wonder the railing gave out. it's not like they didn't see this coming. and to make matters worse, it sounds like the temple management totally dropped the ball on getting proper approvals from authorities.

and seriously, what's with the ex-gratia payments? 200k for a family member who died in a stampede? that's barely enough to cover funeral costs, let alone provide some real support. and what about the injured people? do they get any decent medical care after this?

omg this is so sad it feels like there should be some way to prevent these kinds of accidents from happening they're just too unpredictable especially with all the people involved 25k people in one place is crazy! and its not like they were expecting that many, they hadnt even gotten official permission for the event what's going on? can we just make sure everyone gets safe before letting them have big crowds? this is a total tragedy

so sad ... cant believe the temple couldn't handle such a big crowd... poor ppl who lost their lives . need to rethink crowd safety measures here . can't imagine the fear and panic that must've been for those there . hope they do a thorough investigation and make sure somethin like this never happens again .

the numbers are staggering and it's heartbreaking to see the lives lost due to a preventable disaster like this . it's astonishing that nearly 25,000 devotees turned up for the ceremony without proper safety measures in place . the fact that the temple was not equipped to handle such large crowds and wasn't informed by authorities is just appalling . we need to take a step back and reevaluate our priorities when it comes to crowd safety . it's time for some serious security upgrades and awareness campaigns, especially in sacred sites like temples where people are more likely to let their guard down .