"There was nothing we could do," was the cold reaction of Harimukund Panda, the founder priest of Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam where nine people were killed , and several others were injured in a stampede that broke out on Saturday morning. Shifting the blame for the tragedy on the thousands of devotees that thronged the temple for Darshan on the occasion of Ekadashi, Panda denied the "poor management" charge, saying, "if so many people come at once, how am I at fault?"

The stampede occurred on Saturday morning as a large crowd gathered at the temple , Andhra Chief Minister's Office said in a statement. Overcrowding because of the heavy rush led to the tragic incident.

Survivors blamed the tragedy on poor management and lack of proper arrangements

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