Inquiry committee starts probe into Andhra temple wall collapse

    Visakhapatnam, May 1 (PTI) The committee formed to probe the recent Simhachalam temple wall collapse, which led to the death of seven devotees, began its inquiry on Thursday.
    Seven people were crushed to death in the early hours of Wednesday when a rain-soaked wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple (Simhachalam temple) in Visakhapatnam.
    Following the tragedy, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ordered an inquiry into the incident by a three-member committee.
    The committee comprises Irrigation Chief Engineer Venkateswar Rao, Municipal Administration Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar, and senior IPS officer Ake Ravi Krishna.
    The panel visited the disaster site and questioned the contractor, who claimed he was compelled to construct the wall within three days.
    "That is what he is claiming," an official told PTI, referring to the contractor's statement.
    The committee has been tasked with submitting its inquiry report within three to four days, and the report is currently awaited.
    Earlier this year, six devotees waiting to collect tokens for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at the Lord Venkateswara Temple on Tirumala Hills were killed in a stampede in Tirupati.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)