'Person on top tripped and…': Andhra minister Nara Lokesh on what led to Srikakulam stampede
Andhra minister Nara Lokesh said that due to the rush, the entry point was closed, and people thought they could use the exit route, which led to suffocation.
An “unknown amount of rush” led to “a lot of suffocation”, which resulted in a stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam, state minister Nara Lokesh said. Nine people died, while several others were injured in the stampede at the privately run temple on the occasion of Ekadashi.
The minister said that the temple had both entry and exit gates; however, due to the rush, the entry point was closed, and people thought they could use the exit route, which led to suffocation.
“At 11.30 am, because there was an unknown amount of rush, the entry point was closed. Many people who attended felt that they could use the exit route. That created a lot of suffocation. The entry has steps, so the person on the top tripped and fell; this resulted in a cascading effect. Also, the queue planners were not prepared for such a crowd,” he told reporters.
The majority of those who died were women, he said, adding that he reached out to an MLA and a minister immediately after learning about the incident. “We have a WhatsApp group for real-time governance, which also has the disaster management minister. We reached out to the Home Minister. From there, we coordinated the entire rescue operation. We worked exceptionally hard to save as many lives as possible,” he said.
Andhra government on stampede
A statement issued by the Andhra Pradesh government said that the stampede broke out when a large crowd surged forward as the temple gates opened, causing panic among devotees. It added that nearly 15,000 people had gathered at the site at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, Srikakulam SP KV Maheswara Reddy said that the incident occurred because the temple had only one entry and exit point. “There is only one entry and exit. The incident occurred due to the collapse of an iron grill near the steps. The public, in fear, thought that something was falling and panicked,” he said.
Jagan Reddy slams Andhra government
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, while expressing shock and grief over the incident, said that the government had failed to take proper precautions despite repeated tragedies, referring to previous incidents, including the death of six devotees during Vaikuntha Ekadasi in Tirupati and seven at Simhachalam temple.
“This repeated loss of innocent lives reflects the inefficiency of Chandrababu Naidu's administration,” Reddy added.
With inputs from agencies
