Seven devotees killed as wall collapses on them
Visakhapatnam, Apr 30 (UNI) Seven devotees were killed and several others injured when a wall collapsed on them when they were standing in a queue to buy tickets at the famous hill shrine Simhachalam, near here, in the wee hours on Wednesday.
Police said that a large number of devotees stood in the queue to buy the Rs 300 ticket to have the glimpse of deity Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at the famous hill shrine on the devotional occasion Gandhamavasya.
The deceased were identified as Patti Durga Swamy Naidu (32), Yedla Venkata Rao (48), Mummapatla Manikantha (28), Gujjari Mahalakshmi (65), Paila Venkata Ratnam (45) Pilla Umamaheshwara Rao (30) and Pilla Sailaja (26).
Four of the deceased belonged to one family and they were Pilla Umamaheshwar Rao, a software engineer, his wife Pilla Sailaja, his mother Pilla Paila Venkataratnam and his aunt G Mahalakshmi.
Official sources said that thousands of people started reaching the hill shrine after midnight and formed a long queue to buy special darshan tickets. Heavy rain accompanied by gales occurred at the temple resulting in a portion of a 20-foot-long wall caving on them. The injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of two of the injured is said to be critical.
Home Minister V Anitha, District Collector MN Harendhira Prasad, Commissioner of police Shankabratha Bagchi, MP M Sribharat visited the scene of the accident. An SDRF team extricated the victims from the rubble and shifted them to hospitals.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief and shock over the death of seven devotees. He announced Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to each of the families of the deceased and Rs 3 lakh for the injured. He held a teleconference with the officials concerned and instructed them to provide the best medical treatment to the injured. The Chief Minister set up a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock over the incident. He said on social media: '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'.
Governor of Andhra Pradesh S. Abdul Nazeer has expressed anguish and profound grief on the loss of seven lives due to the collapse of a wall while they were waiting in the queue line to have darshan of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy on the occasion of Chandanotsavam in the early hours on Wednesday.
The Governor offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and directed the district administration to provide better medical care to the injured.
UNI DP PRS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
27 minutes ago
- United News of India
IAEA convenes emergency meeting following US attacks on three Nuclear sites in Iran
New Delhi, June 22 (UNI) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has convened an emergency meeting on Monday in the light of the urgent situation in Iran and has confirmed that ''no increase'' in off-site radiation levels had been reported following US attacks on three nuclear sites. ''In the light of the urgent situation in Iran, I am convening an emergency meeting of the oard of Governors for tomorrow,'' IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on X. ''Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran - including Fordow - the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,'' the IAEA said. However, IAEA would provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available, it said. The IAEA said a large nuclear complex in Esfahan has been targeted for a second time during Israel's attacks on Iran over the past nine days, with several more buildings struck. Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that his country had carried out ''precision strikes'' on three nuclear facilities - Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz. "Our objective was destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and put a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one State sponsor of terror. I can report to the world that the strikes were spectacular, military success. The nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," said Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "With the awesome and righteous might of the United States, in tonight's actions against Iran's nuclear facilities America has been unsurpassed. It has done what no other country on earth could do. History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapon. President Trump and I offered peace through strength. First comes strength and then comes peace,' Netanyahu said. The IAEA DG had said in a report to the UN Security Council on Saturday that attacks on nuclear sites in Iran had caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in that country. However, although they had not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur. The US attacked three nuclear sites in Iran -- Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz. The Natanz enrichment site contains two facilities. The first is the main Fuel Enrichment Plant. Initial attacks on June 13 targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the facility, including an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, and emergency power supply and back-up generators. On the same day, the main cascade hall appears to have been attacked using ground-penetrating munitions. The second facility at Natanz is the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant. It consists of aboveground and underground cascade halls. On June 13 the above-ground part was functionally destroyed and the strikes on the underground cascade halls were seriously damaging. The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment. However, within the Natanz facility there is both radiological and chemical contamination. It is possible that Uranium isotopes contained in Uranium Hexafluoride, Uranyl Fluoride and Hydrogen Fluoride are dispersed inside the facility. The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if inhaled or ingested. This risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory devices. The main concern inside the facility is chemical toxicity. Fordow is Iran's main enrichment location for enriching uranium to 60 percent. The Agency is not aware of any damage at Fordow at this time. At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in last Friday's attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor-fuel manufacturing plant, and the enriched uranium metal processing facility, which was under construction.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
Former bank managers among three sentenced in fraud case
Patna: A special CBI court at Patna sentenced three people, including two then branch managers of Mithila Kshetriya Gramin Bank (MKGB), Darbhanga, to three years' rigorous imprisonment with a total fine of Rs 4 lakh in a bank fraud case that took place in 1989-90, the central investigating agency said here on Sunday. The special CBI court pronouncing its judgment against the three accused — Barun Kumar Mishra, the then manager of Kahua branch, Darbhanga; Mohan Jee Mishra, the then manager of Bahera branch; and Dayanand Jha — on Saturday. "The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an instant case on Aug 14,1991 against Barun Kumar, the then in charge of Kohua branch, and a field officer of the same branch. It was alleged that the accused, while functioning as branch and field officers of the MKGB during 1989-90, entered into criminal conspiracy and misappropriated a sum of Rs 2.48 lakh by manipulating debit and credit entries in a home savings safe account, shown maintained in the name of one Dayanand Jha of Darbhanga," a CBI spokesperson told TOI on Sunday. After investigation, two separate charge sheets were filed by the CBI on Nov 30, 1994, for different instances of misappropriation. The first charge sheet was filed in the court of special judge (CBI cases), Patna, against Barun Kumar, Mohan Jee and Dayanand. The court, after trial, found all three accused guilty and sentenced them accordingly. The second charge sheet was filed in the court of special judicial magistrate (CBI cases) against Barun Kumar, which is sub-judice in a Muzaffarpur court, the CBI spokesperson said.
India.com
43 minutes ago
- India.com
Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran in trouble as SRH may now face..., money laundering allegations against...
Kavya Maran- File image Bad news for Sunrisers Hyderabad fans: In a matter of bad news for the fans of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Hyderabad CEO Kavya Maran, Kavya's father and owner of South India's big media company Sun Network, Kalanidhi Maran has been accused of money laundering. As per a PTI report, DMK Lok Sabha MP Dayanidhi Maran has accused his brother Kalanidhi Maran of 'financial crimes,' and asked him to restore the entire shareholding position of Sun TV and related companies to their original state or face legal and regulatory action.' The main dispute is regarding the shareholding of the Sun Network, which was equally split between the Maran and Karunanidhi families before 2003. As per the allegations, the company funds were misused to launch ventures like Sun Direct TV, Sun Pictures, an FM channel, and IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad after 2003. Kalanidhi Maran accused of 'financial crimes' In the notice, Dayanidhi Maran has accused Kalanithi of committing 'fraudulent practices' and 'misgovernance' during the takeover of Sun TV. As per media reports, Dayanidhi Maran has alleged that his brother was involved in a series of 'calculated and coordinated financial crimes' including cheating and money laundering. If the allegations are proved, BCCI may take actions strict against Kavya Maran and her IPL team. 'White-collar criminality' Such acts amount to white-collar criminality of the highest order and have caused irreparable loss to the legitimate stakeholders of the companies in question, Dayanidhi alleged in the notice. Meanwhile, Sun TV said 'the alleged matter dates back to 22 years when the company was a closely held private limited company.' Following this development, Sun TV's stock fell as much as 5.25 per cent to Rs 580 in early trade on Friday. However, it later trimmed some losses to trade 3.41 per cent lower at Rs 591. Kalanithi Maran currently holds a 75 per cent stake in the company, which has a market capitalisation of Rs 24,124 crore. About Sun TV Network Sun TV Network runs television channels in seven languages including Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Bengali. It also operates FM radio stations across India and owns the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa's T20 league. (With inputs from agencies)
