At least nine killed, several injured in stampede at Indian temple

At least nine devotees were killed and several sustained injuries in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswar Swamy Temple in India’s Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.

The stampede occurred as worshippers crowded into the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in the city of Srikakulam on Ekadashi, a day Hindus consider auspicious, said Pawan Kalyan, the state's deputy chief minister.

"An inquiry will be conducted into the tragic incident," Kalyan said in a statement, adding that the temple was run by private individuals. He put the death toll at nine.

As many as 25,000 devotees crowded into the temple, which can accommodate only about 2,000, leading to the crush, state minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy added, while district officials have been told to provide the injured with medical help.

A total of 18 injuries have been reported so far, the collector and magistrate of Srikakulam district Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said, while two critically injured patients have been moved to a tertiary care hospital for treatment.

The government will pay compensation of INR200,000 ($2,300) to the families of the dead, and INR50,000 ($570) to the injured, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.