Seven Die, Four Injured in New Wall's Collapse at Chandanotsavam Festival

Visakhapatnam: Seven persons died and four more were injured when a newly constructed wall collapsed at the Simhachalam temple during the Chandanotsavam event here on Wednesday.

The mishap happened between 2:40 and 3am. The 9-10 foot section of the wall built to separate the space for the Rs.300 and Rs.1000 ticket queues collapsed amid heavy overnight rainfall. The walls’ construction had been taken up two weeks ago. It was completed only three days ago.

The NDRF and SDRF teams immediately launched rescue operations and extricated the victims from under the heaps of rubble. The Chandanotsavam continued and there was a heavy turnout of devotees during the day.

The deceased were Yedla Venkat Rao (45), Durga Swamy Naidu (33), Pila Umamaheswar Rao (30), Pila Sailaja (26), Paila Venkata Ratnam (50), Gujjari Mahalakshmi (65) and Manikanta Eswara Sesha (28). Four deceased, including a couple, belonged to the same family.

Among the four injured, one person was admitted to a corporate hospital and his condition was stable. Three others were discharged after treatment.

President Draupadi Murmu, prime minister Narendra Modi, governor Abdul Nazeer and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the loss of lives.

Sources told Deccan Chronicle that the wall’s works were completed in a hurry. While the foundation was laid, the filler beneath the wall remained incomplete. “In the first place, there was no need to build a wall to segregate queues. Instead, they could have used railings,” a temple official pointed out.

According to eyewitnesses, the temple authorities wanted to segregate the queues for the Rs.300 and Rs.1000 darshans with the wall. “It was raining heavily. There was no proper lighting arrangement at the spot. We just moved away from the wall as rainwater was leaking from a nearby roof,” said an eyewitness from the nearby Gadirey village.

While the government announced a probe by a three-member committee, the Gopalpatnam police registered a case. Former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy condemned the incident and called for a thorough investigation. He said all responsible parties should be identified and punished regardless of their position or influence.

The authorities cleared the debris and continued the Chandanotsavam ritual. The hereditary trustee of the temple, Pusapati Ashok Gajapathiraju, and his family members were granted the first darshan (viewing) of the deity. They offered the first sandalwood to the Lord.

Later, revenue minister Angani Satya Prasad presented the deity with silk robes on behalf of the state government.