The chants of devotion at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh turned into cries for help on Saturday as a festive crowd celebrating Ekadashi spiralled into chaos. Within minutes, what began as a surge of worshippers eager for darshan ended in a deadly crush that left at least ten people dead and several others gasping for breath on the temple floor. As panic spread through the crowd, several devotees who collapsed were given emergency CPR by fellow worshippers before medical teams arrived.
Andhra Temple Stampede
Videos from the scene captured moments of urgency and distress — men and women were seen pulling unconscious devotees out of the crush, rubbing their hands and feet, and performing chest compressions in desperate attempts to revive them. In one clip, a man knelt beside a fainted woman, pressing her chest rhythmically as others cleared space around him.
Amid the confusion, some devotees climbed railings to rescue those who had fallen, while others formed human chains to pull people to safety. Police officials later confirmed that the stampede occurred around 11:30 a.m. and noted that part of the temple premises was under construction, which contributed to the crowding and made evacuation difficult.