A tragic incident occurred in the early hours of April 30, 2025, at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. During the annual Chandanotsavam festival, a newly constructed 20-foot-long wall collapsed, resulting in the deaths of seven devotees and injuries to several others. The collapse happened around 3:15 AM as devotees queued for the ‘Nijaroopa Darshanam’ of the deity. Heavy overnight rains and strong winds are suspected to have weakened the wall’s structural integrity, leading to its failure.
Among the deceased were a techie couple from Visakhapatnam, Pilla Uma Maheswara Rao (30) and his wife Sailaja (26), both employed with IT firms in Hyderabad. Sailaja’s mother and aunt also lost their lives in the incident. Other victims included devotees from East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts.
Rescue operations were promptly carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local authorities. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep sorrow over the incident, announcing an ex-gratia payment of ₹25 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹3 lakh to the injured. He also ordered a probe by a three-member committee to investigate the cause of the collapse.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
The incident has raised concerns about the quality of recent constructions at the temple, with preliminary reports suggesting that the wall may have been built with substandard materials. This tragedy underscores the need for stringent safety measures during large public gatherings, especially in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
