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New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed grief over the stampede at the Kasibugga Venkateswara Swamy temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, in which at least nine devotees were killed.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and property in the stampede at Kasibugga Venkateshwara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the bereaved families and all those injured. I hope they find strength and recover soon,” Gandhi said in a message on Telegram.
Gandhi said, “I urge the Andhra Pradesh government to mobilize every resource for relief and engage with the affected families with compassion, respect and speed. I also appeal to our Congress leaders and workers from the region to assist in relief operations and support the bereaved.”
Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed grief over the loss of life and property in the incident.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and property in the stampede at Kasibugga Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. My heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and our thoughts are with the injured,” Kharge said on Twitter.
The Congress president said, “Crowd management guidelines are mandatory, and we must do everything to strictly enforce and follow them. The Andhra Pradesh government must immediately provide adequate and timely compensation, as well as support to the affected families. Congress leaders and workers must extend all possible help and stand with the grieving families in this difficult time.”
Most of those killed in the stampede were women and children, who lost their lives as the huge crowd of devotees caused chaos and panic.
Disturbing visuals from the temple complex showed bodies of devotees lying on the ground as rescue teams and locals rushed to help the injured.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock and grief, calling the tragedy “heartbreaking”.
“I am deeply shocked by the stampede at the Venkateshwara temple at Kasibugga in Srikakulam district. The loss of lives of devotees in this incident is extremely saddening. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I have directed the authorities to ensure prompt and proper treatment to the injured,” he said in a statement.
The Chief Minister also directed local officials and public representatives to visit the incident site and personally monitor the relief and rescue operations.
–IANS
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