NDRF personnel taking up rescue operations at the site where the wall was collapsed at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy’s Temple in Simhachalam in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Seven people were killed and several others injured when a rain-soaked wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Visakhapatnam, in the early hours of Wednesday (April 30, 2025), officials said.

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha said preliminary reports indicated that the wall collapse in the temple in Simhachalam was triggered by soil loosening due to heavy rains in the area.

The incident occurred when the devotees waiting in the queue line, for the ‘Nijaroopa’ darshan on the occasion of annual ‘Chandanotsavam’ festival.

Rescue operations are underway, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State authorities pressed into service.

The injured have been shifted to a hospital, officials added.