SRIKAKULAM: A stampede at a privately run temple in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh killed nine devotees - eight women and a 13-year-old boy - and left more than 25 injured Saturday morning, after a railing collapse on a narrow staircase caused panic in a crowd of over 20,000 gathered for Karthika Ekadashi. The toll may rise as the condition of some of the injured is critical. The Venkateswara Swamy temple, located at Kasibugga under Palasa mandal and modelled on the Tirumala shrine in Tirupati, was built by 94-year-old Hari Mukund Panda from Odisha and opened just four months ago. One gate serving both entry and exit, poor crowd control, and lack of official clearance turned the pilgrimage into chaos. "Nobody is responsible - it was an act of god," Panda said.

District police ch

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