At Least 9 Dead, 16 Injured After Crowd Surge and ‘Stampede’ at a Temple: ‘Extremely Heartbreaking’

At least nine people are dead and 16 are injured after a “stampede” at a Hindu temple in India.

The tragedy occurred at the Swamy Venkateswara Temple in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh state on Saturday, Nov. 1, according to the Associated Press.

Worshippers were gathered at the temple for Ekadashi, a sacred day of fasting and prayer, according to senior police officer K. V. Maheswra Reddy, per the AP. 

In a filmed press conference shared by the AP, Reddy stated that the incident was “due to the collapse” of a railing inside the temple. He added that the building had recently undergone new and “weak” construction that did not hold up against the force of the large crowd pushing against it.

The temple, which has a maximum capacity of 3,000, contained about 25,000 at the time of the incident, according to the outlet.

An initial investigation indicates that the overcrowding within the temple occurred when a metal divider meant to maintain the line of worshipers broke, resulting in a crowd surge into the building, which ultimately led to the railing to break, per the AP. 

PEOPLE reached out to the Andhra Pradesh Police for comment on Saturday, Nov. 1, but did not receive an immediate response.

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Video of the incident shared by multiple local news outlets shows a mass of worshippers crushed against one another. People scream as others seemingly fall off the side of the building. 

Senior local government official Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar has stated that eight of the fatalities are women and one is a child, per the AP. He added that at least 16 people are being treated at a local hospital. 

In a statement on X, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh expressed his condolences for all those affected by the accident.

“The stampede incident at the Venkateswara Temple in Kashibugga in Srikakulam district has caused a shock. The death of devotees in this tragic incident is extremely heartbreaking,” he began.

“I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. I have instructed the officials to provide speedy and proper treatment to those who have been injured. I have requested the local officials and public representatives to visit the site of the incident and oversee the relief measures,” he added.