NEW DELHI, Nov 1, (AP): A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in southern India left at least nine people dead and dozens injured, local authorities said Saturday. The incident occurred at the Swamy Venkateswara Temple in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh state where hundreds of devotees had gathered to mark  "Ekadashi,” senior police officer K. V. Maheswra Reddy told the Associated Press.

An initial investigation suggests that an iron grille meant to maintain the queue of worshippers at the temple broke, leading to the uncontrolled crowd surge, Reddy said. Senior local government official Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said more casualties were feared.

"Initially, we had reports of seven deaths, but two more people have succumbed to their injuries while the condition of one other is critical,” he said. Video footage on local media showed people rushing to help those who fainted in the crowd surge and were gasping for breath. Some were seen rubbing the hands of those who fell on the ground. N. Chandrababu Naidu, the state’s highest-elected official, expressed grief and offered condolences to the families of the bereaved.

"It is extremely tragic that devotees who came for darshan (seeing) of the deity have lost their lives in this manner,” Naidu said on X. Crowd surges at religious gatherings are not uncommon in India, where massive groups often congregate at temples or pilgrimage sites, sometimes overwhelming local infrastructure and security measures. In July, a crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in northern India left at least six people dead and dozens injured.