6 killed in AP temple stampede

Authorities say the accident happened because of a blackout

HYDERABAD: Six people, including five women and a child, were trampled to death by a huge crowd of devotees at the Kanakadurga temple in Vijayawada in the early hours of Thursday.

While four women devotees and the child, all from Andhra Pradesh, were killed on the spot, another woman succumbed to severe injuries at the government hospital. Fifteen other devotees, including three children, were among the injured convalescing at the hospital.

Executive officer of the temple Balakrishna said a sudden blackout on the Indira Kiladri hillock where the temple is situated led to the stampede.

“There was a rush of Durga devotees at the temple since last (Wednesday) night to have an early morning darshan and many of them were caught in the stampede,” he said.

Vijayawada police commissioner CV Anand blamed the temple authorities for lack of safety measures and for failing to regulate the crowds.

“The temple administration has failed to regulate the crowds,” he said.

This is the second stampede in Vijayawada in the last three years. In 2004, four persons were killed in a similar mishap on the banks of river Krishna.