Palasa stampede: Eyewitnesses recount the horrifying scenes

/PALASA

Eyewitnesses recount the horrifying scenes during the tragic stampede that occurred at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Kasibugga of Palasa in Srikakulam district, on Saturday (November 01).

One of the eyewitnesses, Ginni Swathi from Cherukupalli village of Nandigama mandal, described how she narrowly escaped the mishap. She said that if she had remained in the queue line for just a few more minutes, the outcome could have been worse.

Ms. Swathi explained that she and a group of around 25 people from her village had entered the queue line at approximately 9.30 a.m. It took them more than two-and-a-half hours to complete their darshan due to the huge rush of devotees, in the view of Karthika Ekadasi.

“The crowd was huge and uncontrollable. I could barely spot a police and there was no private security arrangements either at all,” she recalled.

While coming from the darshan, she witnessed the heart-wrenching scenes that unfolded before her eyes.

“It was terrifying. People were trapped, struggling to find any possible way to get out. Many were gasping for breath, while others tried desperately to help those who had fallen unconscious. Some devotees who were pulled out of the crowd were being administered CPR right on the spot,” she said.

Ms. Swathi further said that several people who had witnessed the stampede were so terrified and ran back in panic, fearing for their lives.

Another devotee, R. Meena, who had visited the temple along with her young son, also survived with minor injuries. “The queue line had completely stalled, and people behind us began were pushing to move forward. I was eventually pulled out by some devotees,” she said, adding that “the entire situation was extremely frightening. We had a miraculous escape.”

Devotees recalled that the temple had drawn visitors not only from various parts of Srikakulam district but also from the bordering regions of Odisha, with some travelling nearly 80 to 100 km to seek the Lord’s blessings.

R. Parvathi, who had come from Kotlingi in Odisha, shared her experience. She said that she and her friends had reached the temple in an autorickshaw in the morning and had completed their darshan peacefully. Just after leaving the temple premises, the incident occurred.

“When I was returning home in the autorickshaw, my husband called me to check if I was safe. When he told me about the stampede, I was completely shocked and speechless. I could not believe that such a tragedy took place just after we left,” she said.