Nine dead in crowd surge at Hindu temple in India

A crowd at a popular Hindu temple in southern India left at least nine people dead and dozens injured.

The incident took place at the Swamy Venkateswara Temple in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh state, where hundreds of devotees had gathered to commemorate Ekadashi, one of the holy days of Hinduism.

On this day, devotees fast and pray to Lord Vishnu, an important Hindu deity.

Senior police officer K V Maheswra Reddy told The Associated Press that initial investigation showed that the iron grill used to protect the queue of worshipers at the temple was broken, leading to uncontrolled crowd growth.

Senior local government official Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said more casualties were feared.

“We initially reported that 7 people had died, but 2 more people lost their lives, and the condition of the other 2 people is critical,” he said.

Pundkar said eight of the dead were women and one child, adding that at least 16 devotees injured in the crowd were treated at a local hospital, while the other 20 people were in a state of shock and were under observation at a different hospital.

In the video published in local media, people were seen rushing to the aid of those who fainted and were out of breath in the crowd.

Some were seen rubbing the hands of those who had fallen to the ground.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh’s top elected official N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief and expressed condolences to the families of the bereaved.

Swelling crowds at religious gatherings are not uncommon in India, where large groups often gather at temples or pilgrimage sites, sometimes overcoming local infrastructure and security measures.

At least six people were killed and dozens injured in a crowd at a popular Hindu temple in northern India in July.