- 25,000 devotees crowd into the temple built for 2,000 people.
- 18 injuries reported so far: district collector.
- Government will compensate victims' families: Indian PM.
A stampede at a temple in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh killed at least nine people early Saturday, government officials said, and several were injured.
The stampede occurred as worshipers thronged the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in the town of Srikakulam on Ekadashi, a day Hindus consider auspicious, said Pawan Kalyan, the state's deputy chief minister.
“An investigation will be carried out into the tragic incident,” Kalyan said in a statement, adding that the temple was run by private individuals. He estimated the death toll at nine.
As many as 25,000 devotees thronged the temple, which can only accommodate about 2,000, causing a crush, state minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy added, while district officials have been asked to provide medical aid to the injured.
A total of 18 injuries have been reported so far, Srikakulam district collector and magistrate Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said, while two seriously injured patients were shifted to a tertiary hospital for treatment.
The government will pay compensation of INR 200,000 ($2,300) to the families of the dead and INR 50,000 ($570) to the injured, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.
