Seven devotees, including three women, were killed and another one was injured when a newly-constructed wall collapsed after rain in the early hours of Wednesday during the Chandanotsavam festival at Simhachalam Temple in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.

The dead included a techie couple from Visakhapatnam. The state government ordered an inquiry by a three-member committee and compensation of Rs 25 lakh to those killed, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced another Rs 2 lakh as ex gratia.

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Tragedy struck the sacred hill shrine of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Simhachalam when the 25-foot-long wall, constructed just 20 days ago, collapsed on a queue of devotees who had paid Rs 300 for the darshan.

The incident occurred around 2:30 am after heavy rain and strong winds battered the temple premises. The entire place was teeming with devotees due to the Chandanotsavam festival.

According to authorities, the heavy rain loosened the soil, leading to the wall’s collapse. The deceased were identified as Yedla Venkata Rao, Eswara Sesha Rao, P Durgaswami Naidu, Pilla Uma Maheshwara Rao, Pilla Sailaja, Venkata Ratnam and G Mahalakshmi.

The last four persons were from the same family and Uma Maheshwar were techies who worked from home.

 The NDRF and SDRF rushed to the spot and began rescue operations. The injured person was taken to King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam.  State home minister V Anitha and the district collector rushed to the spot to oversee rescue operations.

The Chandanotsavam festival marks the unveiling of the deity after being covered with sandalwood paste for a year. There is usually a huge rush of pilgrims to attend the event, with temple authorities setting up special darshan queues for ticket holders, VIPs, and protocol visitors.

Today, the collapse occurred right after the hereditary trustee P Ashok Gajapathy Raju completed the first ceremonial darshan and presented the Chandanam to the deity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ₹two lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the deceased persons and ₹50,000 to the injured from the Prime Minister’s relief fund.

Expressing grief, he said, “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.”

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ordered a probe into the incident by constituting a three-member committee. He chaired a high-level teleconference with senior officials and ministers to review the situation. He also announced ₹25 lakh ex-gratia compensation to the next of kin of those deceased.

Additionally, ₹3 lakh will be provided to each of the injured. The state government has also decided to offer employment opportunities under the outsourcing system in temples managed by the Endowments Department.

YSRCP leader Gudivada Amarnath said, “The government’s negligence and substandard construction caused this tragedy.” This was the second such tragedy to take place in a temple in AP during a heavy rush of devotees after the stampede in Tirupati left 6 devotees dead.