Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 30 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh governor S Abdul Nazeer expressed his sadness over the Visakhapatnam temple accident, according to a statement released by the Andhra Pradesh Raj Bhawan.
The Andhra Pradesh governor paid his condolences to the family members of the deceased and instructed the district administration to provide proper medical treatment to the injured people, the statement further said.
“Governor of Andhra Pradesh Sri 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. Governor Sri Abdul Nazeer offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and directed the district administration to provide better medical care to the injured persons”, the official statement from Andhra Pradesh Raj Bhavan said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday condoled the demise of 7 people who died after a 20-foot wall collapsed during a temple festival in Visakhapatnam.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of seven devotees due to the collapse of a wall during the Chandanotsavam of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. My deepest condolences to the families of those who died in this incident due to the collapse of a wall due to heavy rains,” read a post by the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to eight, with four others injured after a 20-foot-long makeshift structure collapsed during the Chandanotsavam festival at the Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Visakhapatnam during the early hours of Wednesday.
While speaking to ANI, Vinay Chan, Principal Secretary of the Endowment Department, addressed the incident in Tirupati. He stated that it is premature to determine the cause.
“So it is not appropriate for us to conclude on the reasons for the incident. Prima facie, we have noticed that there was a downpour between 2.30 and 3.30 am in the early hours. We are investigating the incident… Currently, we have information that about eight people have died. All the debris has been cleared…Rescue work has been concluded,” he said.
Search and rescue operations are underway by the teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force, an official said.
According to an SDRF jawan, the incident occurred around 2.30 am. (ANI)