Visakhapatnam: At least eight people reportedly died and several others were injured after a newly constructed wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Simhachalam in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam. A 20-foot-long stretch collapsed during the Chandanotsavam festival. The incident took place at around 2:30 am when devotees were waiting in line for ‘Nijaroopa’ darshan of the deity on the occasion of the annual Chandanotsavam festival. The wall, located along the Rs. 300 ticket queue, was reportedly built 20 days ago.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are carrying out rescue operations. The injured devotees were rushed to King George Hospital (KGH) for treatment. The cause of the incident remains uncertain.
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Andhra Pradesh Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the tragedy and condoled the lost lives. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each to the victims’ families and Rs 3 lakh each to the injured. The chief minister has also formed a three-member official committee to probe the wall collapse incident.
The Chandanotsavam festival, or Chandan Yatra, is celebrated on April 30. During the Chandanotsavam festival, deity Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy is revealed to devotees in his true form (Nijaroopa), without the usual sandalwood paste that typically covers the idol throughout the year.