HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep shock and sorrow over the tragic incident at the Simhachalam temple in Visakhapatnam district, where a wall collapse claimed eight lives and left several others injured.
The mishap occurred on Tuesday near the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam, where large crowds had gathered for darshan as part of the annual Chandana Utsavam. A section of the wall, weakened by heavy rainfall, collapsed on the waiting devotees, leading to a major accident.
Emergency response teams, including police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, were immediately deployed to the site to carry out rescue operations. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals and are undergoing treatment.
Chief Minister Naidu conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, stating that the loss of seven devotees during the Chandana Utsavam deeply disturbed him. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he mentioned that heavy rains appeared to have caused the wall collapse and that he had spoken with the district collector and superintendent of police to obtain a full report on the situation.
He directed officials to ensure that the injured received proper medical care and added that the administration was continuously reviewing the situation.
