9 killed in stampede at Andhra Pradesh's Venkateswara temple

At least nine people were crushed to death after a massive crowd surge at a Hindu temple in southern India's Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, the state's governor said. The stampede occurred at the Venkateswara temple in Kasibugga in Srikakulam district, where a crowd of devotees had gathered.

Andhra Pradesh governor S. Abdul Nazeer expressed his "profound grief on the death of nine pilgrims in the stampede".

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his condolences to those "who have lost their near and dear ones".

"I pray that the injured recover soon," Modi added.

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He said, "Pained by the stampede in Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000."

Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence at big Indian gatherings and religious festivals.

In September, at least 36 people were killed after a stampede broke out at a campaign rally of popular actor-turned-politician Vijay in Tamil Nadu state.

And in June, a sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in the coastal state of Odisha triggered a stampede that killed at least three people and injured several others.

The previous month, six people were crushed to death in the western state of Goa after thousands gathered for a popular fire-walking ritual.

In January, at least 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.