temple

Nov. 1 (UPI) — At least nine people died and more than 25 were injured in a stampede at a private Hindu temple in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday morning.

The stampede happened when around 25,000 worshippers crowded into Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in the Srikakulam district on Ekadashi, a sacred holiday. On Saturday, there are usually 3,000 parishioners, the Times of India reported.

The deceased included eight women and one boy, and two of the injured were in critical condition.

“The heavy rush of devotees led to overcrowding, resulting in injuries to many devotees, who were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals,” an official said, according to Xinhua.

Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered an investigation into what happened at the 12-acre temple.

Organizers failed to inform the police in advance, which prevented adequate security, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said, according to News 18, a network co-owned by CNN.

The government will pay $2,500 to the families of the deceased and $563 to those of the injured, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while noting that he was “pained by the stampede.”

Ekadashi means 11 in English and corresponds to the 11th day of every fortnight in the Hindu Lunar Calendar. During the holiday, devotees fast and offer prayers to Lord Vishnu.

This was the third stampede this year in India.

On April 30, seven people died and six were injured when a newly constructed rain-soaked wall at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Simhachalam temple in Visakhapatnam collapsed.

On Jan. 6, six people were killed and others injured in a stampede in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh at a counter to distribute tickets for a special event at Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala.

1 of 2 | Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir greets followers after praying on the Temple Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, on the Jewish day of fasting, Tisha B’Av, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on Sunday. Ben Gvir’s prayer broke a decades old agreement that allows Jews to visit the site, but not to pray. Photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI | License Photo

Aug. 3 (UPI) — Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and prayed there over the weekend, breaking a longstanding agreement that allows Jews to visit the site, but not pray.

The site, located in occupied East Jerusalem, is known by Jews as the Temple Mount, and Ben–Gvir’s prayer prompted a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office affirming that there has been no change in the decades-old agreement.

Jordan, the site’s custodian, called Ben-Gvir’s actions “an unacceptable provocation.” Hamas called it a “deepening of the ongoing aggressions against our Palestinian people.” A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the visit “crossed all red lines.”

During his visit, Ben-Gvir called for Israel to “conquer” Gaza and encouraged Palestinians to leave the embattled region.

Temple Mount is the most holy place for Jews as it is the site of two Biblical temples. It is the third most holy site for Muslims, who claim it is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.

The Waqf, the Islamic endowment that runs this site, said Ben-Gvir was one of 1,250 Jews who visited the compound Sunday morning.

Ben-Gvir has been convicted of supporting terrorism and inciting anti-Arab racism in Israel in the past.

NewsFeed

A former cleaner claims he was forced to bury the bodies of hundreds of women and girls, on the orders of supervisors at one of southern India’s most revered temples. As Soraya Lennie explains, the case has shocked the country and sparked accusations of a three-decade old cover up.