Nine devotees – eight women and one child – were killed and 15 injured in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday (November 1, 2025) morning.
Thousands thronged the temple, managed by a private individual, for darshan. Police and locals said the temple, still under construction, has been attracting nearly 2,000 devotees on Saturdays but the crowd swelled to more than 20,000 on the occasion of ‘ekadashi’.
Also read: Andhra Pradesh stampede live updates
Hari Mukund Panda, the temple administrator, said the management had not anticipated such a big turnout. It did not inform the police and there was no police deployment to manage the rush.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the incident could have been prevented had the police been informed and arrangements made. He promised action against those responsible.
