BRS leader KT Rama Rao expresses grief over Visakhapatnam temple accident

KTR shared a post on his official 'X' handle and said that he is deeply saddened by the accident. The BRS leader also paid his condolences to the families of the deceased.

"Deeply saddened by the tragic wall collapse at Simhachalam Temple during the very pious chandanotsvam festival. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. Praying for a speedy recovery to those injured in this very unfortunate incident", the 'X' post read.

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)