Tragic stampede at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple claims life of 21-yr-old nursing student from Odisha

Berhampur: A 21-year-old woman from Gudipadar in Ganjam district’s Patrapur block was among nine persons killed in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, Kasibugga in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district.The deceased was identified as R. Roopa, a BSc (Nursing) student in Srikakulam. Another woman from the same village sustained injuries but she is out of danger, sources said.A pall of gloom descended on the village located on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, when her body reached in an ambulance. Cremation will take place on Sunday.Roopa along with her neighbour on a two-wheeler to Kasibugga, about 35 km from Gudipadar.

Some of their relatives who resided in Tikili also arrived at the temple, said Y. Mohan Rao, former sarpanch of Gudipadar panchayat. He said the women were standing in a queue while holding a rope overhead when the incident took place.Y. Sanjukta Reddy, chairperson of Patrapur block and also a resident of Gudipadar, said the deceased’s mother died due to some ailments two years ago. Her father, T. Dillesh, a farmer, stays in the village. Several people, including the sarpanch and block chairperson, visited her house and consoled her father. MLA (Chikiti) Manoranjan Dyansamantara expressed shock over the deaths.